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A 33-year-old man who fatally beat and kicked his roommate outside a Cedar City apartment complex in 2013 was sentenced to prison Tuesday.
Brandon Thomas Sappington — who was initially charged with first-degree felony murder — pleaded guilty in August to a reduced second-degree felony count of manslaughter for the Oct. 9, 2013 attack on 59-year-old Bryan Mahue Mellor, of Cedar City.
Mellor died at a Las Vegas hospital three days later.
Sappington also pleaded guilty to third-degree felony assault by a prisoner for fighting with police officers while being taken into custody.
In exchange for his pleas, another count of assault by a prisoner, and a misdemeanor count of interference with an arresting officer, were dismissed.
On Tuesday, 5th District Judge Keith Barnes sentenced Sappington to prison ordered prison terms of one to 15 years and zero to five years to run consecutively, for a sentence of one to 20 years.
The case was on hold between November 2013 and March 2015 because Sappington's defense attorney raised concerns that the defendant might not be competent to stand trial due to mental illness, according to court documents.
But based on evaluations from doctors at the Utah State Hospital, Barnes in March 2015 deemed Sappington competent to proceed.
In plea documents, Sappington claimed that while he intentionally caused Mellor's death, special mitigation existed because he acted under "a delusion attributable to mental illness."
Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett said Wednesday that Sappington claimed he thought the victim was a dummy or a government spy. "He qualified for special mitigation under Utah law which reduces [the crime] from murder to manslaughter," Garrett added.
At about 8 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2013, Cedar City police were dispatched to an apartment complex at 468 S. 75 West on a report of an assault in progress, according to charging documents.
When officers arrived, Sappington approached and they noticed blood on his hand and ordered him to stop. Instead, Sappington ignored their commands and attempted to kick and head-butt the officers before they arrested him, charges state.
Medical personnel reported that Mellor had suffered multiple skull fractures and bleeding in the brain as a result of the assault, according to charges.
Police said Sappington was living "clandestinely" with Mellor, and that the Cedar City Housing Authority did not approve the pair residing together.
Witnesses told police they saw Sappington kicking Mellor in the head into a tubular steel railing, and also "stomping" and "jumping" on the victim's head and torso, charges state.
Police said they saw "footwear impressions" visible on Mellor's chest and stomach when medical personnel was attempting to save his life.