Douglas Lovell: Death Row Inmate Appeals Conviction, Claims Mormon Church Sabotaged His Trial


Utah native Douglas Lovell, who was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1985 rape and murder of Joyce Yost, has appealed his conviction. According to reports, the death row inmate believes the Mormon Church sabotaged his trial.

In 1985, Douglas Lovell reportedly followed Joyce Yost home and raped her in her own driveway. After he realized she would recognize him and possibly testify at his trial, Lovell began planning the woman’s death.

Although he initially tried to hire a hit-man, the plan fell through. Instead, Lovell broke into the woman’s home where he threatened her with a knife and forced her to pack a bag so it would appear that she left voluntarily. He then drugged her and forced her into his car

Douglas Lovell drove his victim to a canyon where he pulled her out of the vehicle, stomped on her neck, and strangled her before leaving her body in a pile of leaves.

In 1993, Lovell pleaded guilty in an attempt to avoid the death penalty. However, the judge did not agree with the prosecutor’s recommendation because Lovell refused to reveal the location of Joyce Yost’s body.

While awaiting trial, Lovell said he was counseled by bishops and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although they agreed to testify as character witnesses, something went wrong.

According to The Washington Post, Lovell said Mormon officials nixed the bishops’ testimony because it may have suggested the church supported the accused killer.

According to court documents, which were presented by Douglas Lovell’s defense team, some members of the church were told to keep their testimonies short while others were prevented from testifying altogether. At least one character witness reportedly changed his mind about testifying after a high-ranking church official forbid him from taking the stand.

Douglas Lovell’s attorneys contend the lack of character witnesses prevented the jury from understanding the scope of their client’s remorse. One of his attorneys, Samuel Newton, suggested, “the church, out of concern for its policies, pressured witnesses not to testify or cooperate with Mr. Lovell.”

Church Spokesman Eric Hawkins said church leaders generally do not participate in legal cases that are not directly related to church business. He also underlined the fact that those who chose to testify at Lovell’s trial expressed their own personal opinions, not those of the church.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of this unspeakable crime,” Hawkins wrote in a statement.

Douglas Lovell also requested a hearing to present new evidence and to further question several witnesses. In his opinion, his trial lawyers were incompetent because they failed to raise objections when it became clear that the church sabotaged his case.

In 2010, the Utah Supreme Court overturned Douglas Lovell’s original conviction because they determined he was not duly informed of his right to a public trial and the presumption of innocence. However, as reported by Desert News, he was convicted of murder once again in 2015 and subsequently sentenced to death.

Joyce Yost’s two adult children were present in court when the verdict was read. Yost’s daughter Kim Salazar said she is in favor of the court’s decision and she is satisfied that Douglas Lovell was sentenced to death. “The things that he did—incredible, horrible things to do to someone [who] he didn’t know, that didn’t deserve it—and then to have such disregard [for] human life other than his own,” she said.

The execution date was stayed after Lovell launched another round of appeals, which could delay his execution for several years.

Neither Douglas Lovell nor the family of Joyce Yost commented on the latest appeal and the subsequent delay of his execution.

[Image via Iingle/Shutterstock]

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