A Utah man who was forced to shoot his friend or be killed himself was sentenced to probation for lying to police as they investigated the harrowing kidnapping episode.
Andrew Perry Beck, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony obstruction of justice in October. Police say he changed his story several times regarding the events before and after 34-year-old Cleat Knight was killed near Snowbasin Resort in Weber County.
On Nov. 23, 2013, Knight was shot in the back by Christopher Leech, who then handed the gun to Beck and gave him the ultimatum of finishing Knight off or be killed as well, according to charges.
He shot Knight once, he testified during Leech’s 2016 trial.
“I figured we were both gonna be dead,” Beck testified.
On Monday, a 3rd District judge sentenced Beck to 36 months probation for lying to investigators. Police say the man initially denied involvement in the shooting, and lied about his whereabouts and the whereabouts of other people before and after Knight’s death.
Leech and a group of others kidnapped Knight and Beck because Knight had previously been late returning form a drug deal involving contacts of Beck’s ex-girlfriend, Tina Soules, who was also charged in the case.
A jury convicted Leech of aggravated murder and other charges, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Viliamu Seumanu, an accomplice in the crime, was also sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury convicted him of first-degree felony murder.
Soules, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, kidnapping and aggravated kidnapping, was sentenced to spent two to 20 years in prison.
A fourth accomplice, Theron Myore, was sentenced to 15 years to life after pleading guilty to murder.
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