OGDEN — An arrest warrant for Stephen Phillip Ellenwood, accused of the 1993 homicide of a 92-year-old Ogden woman, had been sealed to protect another victim and witnesses, according to court documents
Weber County Attorney Dee Smith explained why the warrant was kept under wraps in an affidavit unsealed Friday.
“Stephen Ellenwood is currently not in custody and does not know that his DNA profile matched the DNA taken from the deceased’s home and another victim,” Smith wrote in the affidavit that was sealed along with the arrest warrant on April 26.
“He also does not know that his fingerprints match those taken from the deceased home. Releasing this information prior to service of the arrest warrant would provide an advantage ... to learn what the police now know and to abscond or evade apprehension. It may also endanger the other victim and other witness.”
Also, if the arrest warrant hadn’t been sealed, the case likely would have been reported by the media, which may have alerted Ellenwood, Smith said.