A judge has set a trial date for a Utah man accused of encouraging a high school friend to hang herself and filming the act.
Court records show 19-year-old Tyerell Przybycien is set to go on trial for murder starting Dec. 5.
Prosecutors say he was fascinated with death and told a friend that helping her would be “like getting away with murder.”
They say Przybycien bought a rope and tied the noose for the 16-year-old girl who hanged herself in Spanish Fork Canyon in May 2017.
Defense attorneys argue Jchandra Brown left suicide notes showing she made the choice herself, and Przybycien’s role did not amount to murder.
Judge James Brady decided that while the case is unusual, the allegations Przybycien was deeply involved with the suicide were strong enough to warrant a murder charge.