UT - Mackenzie “Kenzie” Lueck, 23, Salt Lake City, 17 June, 2019 Media, Maps, Timeline NO DISCUSS

[PommyMommy]

Michael Locklear on Twitter
#BREAKING: #MackenzieLueck's suspected killer won't be formally charged until next week. Judge just granted DA's motion to extend his jail hold without bail.
10:22 AM - 2 Jul 2019

Claudia Cowan on Twitter
#BREAKING: Jail hold extended for suspect in #MacKenzieLueck case. Charges likely to be filed next week.

10:28 AM - 2 Jul 2019

Jail hold for man arrested for MacKenzie Lueck's murder extended
Ayoola Ajayi, the man accused of killing MacKenzie Lueck, will not be charged until next week.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office was granted the extension on Monday by Utah's Third District Court.

Ajayi will be held without bail in jail until the upcoming week.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2019
Mackenzie Lueck killing investigation ‘complex and very active,’ authorities say
[...]

Typically, charges are filed against a defendant in a criminal case within 72 hours of an arrest. However, in some instances — often involving complex cases — Salt Lake County prosecutors have asked for additional time, Dist. Atty. Sim Gill said.

“This was a complex and very active investigation,” he said. “We want as much complete information as we can get before we file.”

[...]

 

[Seattle1]

Mackenzie Lueck killing investigation 'complex and very active,' authorities say

July 2, 2019

Salt Lake County prosecutors will have until next week to file charges against a man who police say kidnapped and killed 23-year-old Mackenzie Lueck and then burned her body in his backyard.

Utah’s 3rd District Court granted a motion, filed by prosecutors Tuesday, to extend Ayoola Ajayi’s jail hold while they continue to review evidence in the case.

Typically, charges are filed against a defendant in a criminal case within 72 hours of an arrest. However, in some instances — often involving complex cases — Salt Lake County prosecutors have asked for additional time, Dist. Atty. Sim Gill said.

 

[PommyMommy]

Michael Locklear on Twitter
Paul Cassell, law professor @UUtah, on DA waiting to charge #MackenzieLueck’s suspected killer until next week: “I think this is a case of prosecutors wanting to be very careful in assembling their evidence, so I don’t see this as any kind of delay or anything that’s unusual.”

1:29 PM - 2 Jul 2019

Michael Locklear on Twitter
I’ve seen some people asking if there’s a possibility the suspect could be released. Professor Cassell: “If the case proceeds as I think we’re all expecting it to proceed, it seems to me unlikely he will be getting any form of bail at all.” #MackenzieLueck
1:40 PM - 2 Jul 2019

 

[PommyMommy]

Suspect in woman's death barred from campus, report says
[...]

The school took the step after Ayoola A. Ajayi was arrested on suspicion of having a stolen an iPad, according to university police reports. He had stopped attending class there the year before but continued to sleep on residence hall couches and keep things in a janitor’s closet, police said.

University officials barred him from campus the following month, and also informed the consulate of his native Nigeria of the arrest.

Jail documents show Ajayi is now a U.S. citizen. At the time of his 2012 arrest police documents indicate his student visa had expired but he had married a woman in Texas. That marriage ended in a divorce in January, court records show.

U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services declined to provide information about when Ajayi obtained his citizenship, citing privacy protections.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2019
Modeling Agency Owner Says Mackenzie Lueck Murder Suspect Made Her 'Uncomfortable in My
The owner of a model and talent agency in Salt Lake City, Utah, is opening up about her close encounter with murder suspect Ayoola Ajayi.

[...]

EK said Ajayi, an avid bodybuilder and wannabe model, first approached her at a networking event for models and their agents last summer. She said he wanted to sign with her agency, but there was something about him that she found off-putting.

"On the surface, he seemed perfect," Keener told Inside Edition. "He seemed very smart. Very good looking. Very well-spoken."

After going to several networking parties, Ajayi began reaching out to EK on social media, she said.

"I did not feel comfortable having him in the same room with my young models, so I just listened to my gut and I didn't have anything further to do with him," she said.

"He made me feel uncomfortable in my core," she added.

[...]

Ajayi also told EK he was looking for a literary agent to represent his novel, which he later self-published on Amazon in 2018. A description for the book, "Forge Identity," which has since been removed from Amazon, stated that it's about a teen who "witnessed a gruesome murder" of a neighbor burned alive.

[...]

(Name changed to initials by me)

 

[Seattle1]

https://ksltv.com/416900/what-we-know-about-ayoola-ajayi-arrested-in-mackenzie-lueck-case/

June 28, 2019

Ajayi’s Modeling Career

For several years, Ajayi was an aspiring fitness model. He signed with Sandy-based talent agency, Stars Talent Studio.

“He booked a job, I know, in 2013 and then didn’t really give us more marketing stuff; didn’t take it too seriously,” A E, the owner of the agency, told KSL Investigator Brittany Glas. “He was just more of a matter-of-fact, really active, really, you know, smart.”

Evans’ company has a strict contract policy regarding the conduct of their talent.

“Our goal with our company is healthy role models in the media. So, he agreed and signed that contract,” Evans said.

She says she represented Ajayi for about five years before they ended the contract sometime last year.

“We talked on the phone that he just didn’t have time. He got a big boy job,” Evans said. “So, he was now a 9:00 – 5:00 which makes it hard to do this.”

Evans says she never thought Ajayi would be involved in a police investigation like this.

“It just makes you concerned for the other person’s family,” she said.

A number of Ajayi’s fitness modeling photographs remain online on a modeling industry website.

He also appeared in a video produced by a Philadelphia-based production company and shot in Utah.

A woman involved in the production, who did not wish to be identified, released a statement to KSL:

“I worked with Ayoola on a film shoot. We only worked together for one long day, but he was very professional, accommodating, and easy to work with. In my experience with him, he was gentle and kind.”

[full name shortened to initials by me].

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2019
How Mackenzie Lueck Murder Suspect Tried to Become Model

 

[Seattle1]

Utah man arrested on suspicion of murdering El Segundo woman, MacKenzie Lueck

June 28, 2019 - The Beach Reporter

Ajayi was interviewed by detectives Thursday and denied having any contact with Lueck, knowing what she looked like or having seen her photo online, police said. But investigators found that both of their phones had pinged at Hatch Park within a minute of each other at about 3 a.m. on June 17 and that he did have at least one photo of Lueck.

Through cell phone records, they also found the two had contacted each other at about 6 p.m. on June 16, Brown said.

Ajayi was taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated murder, kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of a body, Brown said.

The police chief contacted members of Lueck’s family following the arrest.

“It was one of the most difficult calls I’ve ever made,” Brown said. “They were devastated by this news.”

In a statement released by the family and read by an uncle of Lueck’s, the family said it was thankful to law enforcement, her friends and the community for all their efforts in attempting to locate her.

“We ask that everybody respect the privacy of her family and friends at this time,” the family said in the statement.

 

[Seattle1]

Utah man arrested on suspicion of murdering El Segundo woman, MacKenzie Lueck – Daily Breeze

June 28, 2019 - Daily Breeze

Salt Lake City police arrested a man Friday morning on suspicion of killing MacKenzie Lueck, a University of Utah student from El Segundo who had been missing for more than a week.

Ayoola Adisa Ajayi, 31, who had once served a short stint in the Utah Army National Guard and attended another university for years without declaring a major, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and killing the 23-year-old.

Police have not disclosed a possible motive but said the suspect and victim had texted each other the day before her disappearance.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2019
https://ksltv.com/417105/extension-granted-on-formal-charges-against-lueck-murder-suspect/
[...]

"Here’s the thing. This is a tragic event that happened in our community. The goal here is to now do our due diligence and to do a thorough job,” said Salt Lake County’s District Attorney Sim Gill.

Part of doing that thorough job is sifting through, analyzing, and cataloging all the evidence investigators gathered in the case.

Since investigators worked so fast on the case, prosecutors and law enforcement haven’t really had a chance yet to sit down, screen the case, and go over it all from a prosecution standpoint.

“Law enforcement was actively engaged in that search last week. They’re trying to catch up with all the information that they have gathered. We want to put it together as neatly as we can,” said Gill.

[...]

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Mackenzie Lueck Case Archive is updated.

Mackenzie Lueck -UT- by amanda reckonwith

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2019
Prosecutors plan to formally charge MacKenzie Lueck's suspected killer next week
[...]

“We’ll be working on this into early next week,” DA Sim Gill said.

Salt Lake City police on Friday booked Ajayi on four crimes, including aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping, but Gill said it’s premature to say whether prosecutors agree with those charges.

“Sometimes law enforcement may book somebody on one charge, and we may file three,” he said. “Somebody may book somebody on eight charges, and we may end up filing on four.”

[...]

Professor Cassell said aggravated murder comes with the potential for the death penalty. Prosecutors have 60 days to decide whether to pursue it.

[...]

Cassell said the decision would take into consideration the family’s wishes, the long-term commitment of prosecutorial resources and other factors. That’s because the final outcome of a death penalty case averages more than 20 years in Utah, as the appeal process is lengthy and could stretch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The professor said a trial would likely be more than a year away because of the amount of evidence in this case.

 

[ClaireNC]

Probable Cause Statement 6/28/2019 arrest
Probably cause statement for arrest of Ayoola Ajayi | Dna Profiling | Forensic Science

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2019
Salt Lake D.A. gets extension to file charges against suspect in Mackenzie Lueck's death
[...]

“On Tuesday, it was revealed that Ajayi, who attended Utah State University "on and off" starting in 2009 but never graduated, according to school officials, was actually banned from the campus in 2012.”

“Ajayi was arrested for investigation of stealing an iPad, according to newly released campus documents. When questioned by campus police, Ajayi claimed the iPad was his.”

"Later as I was reviewing the iPad, I was able to see that (Ajayi) was not being truthful with me. I could see that he was a member of a gaming team with players around the United States and Canada," USU police wrote in a report. "Ajayi also said he was married to a girl in Texas and that he was trying to get into school. On the iPad I found websites that put his status as single. He was also trying to put a female as a prospect to marry to keep from being deported."

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 3, 2019
Utah Man Suspected of Killing Mackenzie Lueck Once Wrote a Novel About Crime
[...]

Mr. Ajayi, who is from Nigeria, studied at Utah State University in the city of Logan. University police documents show that in 2012, he was barred from campus for several reasons including problems with his visa and accusations that he had stolen an iPad.

He was allowed back on campus in 2015 after resolving his visa issues, a spokesman for the university said. He studied computer science but did not graduate.

[...]

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Family of suspect in MacKenzie Lueck case worried about possibility of fair trial in SLC

Family attorney in NY wants to move the trial, says AJ won't get a fair trial in Utah.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 3, 2019
Family of suspect in MacKenzie Lueck case worried about possibility of fair trial in SLC
[...]

Speaking from her office in New York, attorney Janet Fashakin said the presumption of innocence is a civil right in the United States and she questioned if Ayoola Ajayi will be entitled to that right if the trial takes place in Salt Lake City.

“AJ is being crucified already,” she said.

Fashakin said she got a call from Nigeria, where Ajayi's mother has been reading news reports in disbelief.

“There is no way you can watch all this that`s being said about your loving son and you be able to be at peace,” said Fashakin.

She insists the man the media has characterized is not her son.

“Mrs. Ajayi wants me to let you know that she has a good son. A very hardworking son at that. A son who cares about others," said Fashakin.

The family is afraid judgments are being made based on a limited amount of evidence revealed by police.

[...]

Fashakin believes Ajayi will not be able to receive a fair trial in Utah, at least in part due to his skin color.

“There is no way AJ can get a fair trial in Utah considering the racial disparity over there,” said Fashakin.

Charges have not been filed yet, but once they are, Fashakin is going to work to get the trial moved out of state.

“We are very confident that when all is said and done, AJ will be found not guilty,” she said.

Fashakin said she knows the Ajyais from Nigeria and at this point, she has not been paid for her services.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 3, Updated JUL 4, 2019
Man accused of killing Mackenzie Lueck was banned from Utah State University in 2012 after arrested | Daily Mail Online
[...]

It has now been revealed that Utah State University banned him after his student visa expired and he was arrested on suspicion of having a stolen an iPad, a misdemeanor, according to university police reports.

The Los Angeles Times reported that police said he used the Apple device to play video games and look for a wife to avoid being deported although he was already married.

Campus police received a report the tablet was missing and it was tracked via an IP address. Law enforcement stated he lied when he said his mother gave it to him as a gift but he didn't know how to use it. They noted he had wiped the school's device and replaced the contents of it with his personal applications.

[...]

Prior to the iPad incident, cops caught him sleeping on a couch outside dorms where he claimed to be meeting a girlfriend but when they spoke to a female student inside she said Ajayi didn't have a partner living there.

An officer reported that he tried to exit a later conversation by claiming he had an exam in the morning.

The report stated: 'I asked if he had an exam for one of his classes. Ayoola paused for a moment and stated he was taking a blood test in the morning. ... I told Ayoola that I felt he was being deceitful with me, at which time he hung up on me.'

[...]

U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services declined to provide information about when Ajayi obtained his citizenship, citing privacy protections. Ajayi was allowed to enroll in classes again in 2015 after resolving his immigration status, said Utah State spokesman Tim Vitale.

[...]

 

[Seattle1]

Police arrest man suspected of killing Utah college student

June 28, 2019

Ajayi has worked in information technology for several companies including Dell and Goldman Sachs, according to his LinkedIn page. Goldman Sachs confirmed he worked as a contract employee for less than a year at the Salt Lake City office ending in August 2018. Dell said Ajayi had worked there but didn’t provide his dates of employment.

Ajayi also appeared to have pursued employment in modeling with a bio page on a website called modelmanagement.com. Court records show he is divorced.

Lueck was a part-time senior at the University of Utah studying kinesiology and pre-nursing, and was expected to graduate in Spring 2020. She had been a student since 2014 and had an off-campus apartment. The university offered counseling services to any students or staffers affected by her death.

She is from El Segundo in the Los Angeles area and flew to California for a funeral before returning to Salt Lake City, police said. Her family reported her missing on June 20 and became more concerned after she missed a planned flight back to Los Angeles last weekend.