LOGAN — A Logan man has pleaded guilty but mentally insane when he reportedly killed his father and left the 77-year-old man’s body in Logan Canyon in September. Clayton Robert Shaw, 33, remains in the Cache County Jail, being held without bail, after previously being evaluated by doctors and found competent to stand trial.
According to court records, Shaw appeared March 19 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty with a mental condition to murder, a first-degree felony.
Defense attorney Shannon Demler requested a forensic evaluation of Shaw’s mental state when the crime occurred. He expected the report would take around two months to complete and asked for a review hearing to be scheduled in 60 days.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Joshua Nemeth said he did not agree that Shaw was insane at the time of the crime but did not oppose the evaluation being done.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Dennis Shaw was found with multiple stab wounds to the chest Sept. 26 in the Franklin Basin parking lot. Cache County Sheriff’s deputies reported he appeared to have been dragged and placed at the scene.
Prosecutors report, Clayton Shaw had been served an eviction notice in July from a property owned by his father or his father’s trust. Dennis Shaw had reported his son came to his house in some kind of “mental crisis,” took away his phone and told him he was “trying to find a way to kill you.”
Investigators suspect Clayton Shaw suffered from paranoia and was known to carry a firearm.
On Sept. 27, deputies began watching Dennis Shaw’s house, where they reported seeing Clayton Shaw walk up to the door, knock, and then drive away. Law enforcement conducted what they called a “high-risk traffic stop,” where they found a knife consistent with the injuries sustained by the victim.
Prosecutors report that during a search of the vehicle, police found a used bottle of hydrogen peroxide and drops of human blood in the trunk. A bloody fingerprint was found near the bumper of the car.
While being questioned by investigators, Clayton Shaw reportedly didn’t ask what had happened or how his father died. However, when confronted with the question of whether he had stabbed his father, he finally made a denial.
Shaw is scheduled to appear again in court May 14. He could still face up to life in prison, if found mentally competent when the crime occurred.