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Provo • Danny LeRoy Logue is accused of pulling the trigger early one May morning and killing a man whom a drug dealer thought was a "snitch."
But defense attorney Scott E. Williams said during opening statements on the first day of Logue's murder trial that Logue had nothing to do with the 2011 death of 32-year-old Andy Purcell.
He wasn't there when a drug dealer offered another man an ounce of methamphetamine to beat up Purcell, Williams said. And he wasn't there on May 16, 2011, when Purcell was shot while standing on the porch of his mother's Provo home.
"Danny Logue did not commit this murder," Williams said. "… Mr. Logue denies that he was involved in this."
Logue, 49, is charged in 4th District Court with first-degree felony aggravated murder, second-degree felony possession of a dangerous weapon, along with three other drug-related felony charges.
Williams said there is no physical evidence to prove that his client was at the crime scene, only testimony from witnesses who have "serious credibility problems."
"Each one is a big-time drug user," Williams told jurors. "…These people are not credible."
Deputy Utah County Attorney Curtis Larson conceded during his opening statement that many of the state's witnesses — five of whom are currently in prison or are ex-convicts — may have given contradictory statements in the past to police. He told jurors it was their duty to sort through the discrepancies and find the truth.
"Most of the witnesses, let's just say they have issues," Larson said. "They were drug users. They have colorful pasts."
Larson said events were put in motion on May 5, 2011, when Yuri Sanchez Lara got busted by for methamphetamine distribution.
"I want you to know right up front, Andy [Purcell] had a drug issue," Larson told the jury. "That drug issue led him to be involved with Yuri Lara."
As Lara sat in jail, Larson said he began to think about who might have informed on him to police.
"He makes a decision that Andy is the one who snitched," Larson said. "He [decides] he wants to make an example of Andy."
Larson said Lara asked a friend if he knew someone who would beat up someone for him. That friend connected Lara to Darrell Wayne Morris, who knew Logue.
The drug dealer offered Morris an ounce of meth to beat up Purcell, according to Larson.
On the day of the shooting, Morris brought a bat and Logue brought a gun, as they headed to Purcell's home.
Larson said Purcell was likely shot at around 2:15 a.m. on May 16, 2011, at which time Provo police responded to a "shots fired" call.
The officers found nothing amiss in the area and left.
"[But] Andy Purcell was laying mortally injured on his porch," Larson said. "He had been shot in the forehead."
His mother found him about four hours later, still alive, and called 911.
Purcell died the next day at a hospital.
Morris later told police that Purcell saw them and said, "I know why you're here" and threatened to call police.
"All of a sudden, according to Mr. Morris, Mr. Logue pulls out a gun and shoots several rounds," Larson said.
Police have said that Purcell was not the person who snitched on Lara, rather it was a woman who was caught with methamphetamine.
Morris, 41, pleaded guilty last July to second-degree felony counts of manslaughter and obstruction of justice, along with felony possession of a weapon by a restricted person. He was sentenced to spend up to 15 years in prison for the crimes, according to court records.
Lara, 35, pleaded guilty in October 2012 to manslaughter and four counts of first-degree felony drug possession with intent to distribute. He is serving up to life in prison.
If convicted of the murder charge, Logue faces a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
Logue's trial is expected to go into mid-February.
jmiller@sltrib.com Twitter: @jm_miller