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The younger children of Uta von Schwedler, who was found dead in her Salt Lake City bathtub in 2011, will remain in the custody of family friends and not with their father, who is charged with murder.
Amy Oglesby and her husband announced on a webpage Friday that a judge has permanently awarded the couple legal guardianship of 14-year-old Liam Wall and 12-year-old Ilona Wall. Eighteen-year-old Malkie Wall already lives with the family.
"We're thrilled," Oglesby said when reached by telephone Friday. She declined further comment.
Ogelsby and her husband had already adopted the children's brother, Pelle Wall, who is now 19.
Pelle Wall and the Oglesby family had been trying to gain custody of the children since their father, John Brickman Wall, came under suspicion for killing von Schwedler.
Wall, a Salt Lake City pediatrician, is charged with first-degree felony murder and aggravated burglary. He was arrested in April and is being held in the Salt Lake County jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail. If convicted of either charge, Wall could face up to life in prison.
Wall, 49, has a scheduling conference Monday in 3rd District Court. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for October.
Uta Von Schwedler, 49, drowned in the bathtub of her Sugar House home on Sept. 27, 2011. For months, authorities struggled to determine whether the woman's death was murder or suicide.
But expert analysis of the crime scene has revealed a violent struggle and Wall's DNA in the home, which he did not share with his ex-wife, according to charging documents.
Wall's attorney, Fred Metos, has denied his client killed von Schwedler.
Von Schwedler and John Wall had a contentious divorce in 2006 that led to years of custody battles over their four children, which prosecutors have cited as a motive for murder.
Marissa Lang contributed to this report.
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