OGDEN – Sefu Toilolo Jr. said Friday he hopes the man who strangled his sister and dumped her body in Ogden Canyon will never get out of prison.

“I don’t think he should be able to see the light of day,” Toilolo told 2nd District  Judge Joseph Bean, who a few minutes later sentenced Andy Dennis to 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison for the death of Lopine “Chynna” Toilolo.

Sefu Toilolo Sr. spoke before his son, expressing similar sentiments but saying he will also try to forgive.

“I’m different than my dad on this. I don’t care,” the younger Toilolo said. Addressing Dennis, he added, “I could never forgive you. I will never forgive you for this.”

Dennis, of Pleasant View, pleaded guilty July 22 to first-degree felony murder. Prosecutors dropped three other charges in the plea bargain: a count of abuse or desecration of a corpse and two counts of obstructing justice.

Charging documents said Dennis killed Chynna Toilolo on May 10, 2020, and disposed of her body near the Ogden River in Ogden Canyon. The body was found two days later and Weber County sheriff’s deputies arrested Dennis in June 2020.

Dennis at the time was facing prosecution on a misdemeanor assault charge for an incident involving Chynna Toilolo in 2019 in Davis County. Dennis had an upcoming court appearance in that case when he killed her.

“He ruined a lot of lives,” her brother said of Dennis on Friday. “My parents, my wife and my kids. I had a lot of nieces and cousins who could not sleep by themselves. My mom didn’t want to leave the house. Everybody was scared and felt like someone was going to come back and get them.”

He said he was offended when during one of the pretrial hearings, Dennis and his attorney asked the judge if he could speak to his three children. “We have to spend the rest of our lives without my sister,” he said. “We can only go to the gravesite.”

The elder Toilolo, of Lehi, said the loss of his daughter has been very hard on the extended family. “Especially today. I shouldn’t be here talking about this.”

“I will never get the chance to walk her down the aisle,” he said. “Every day, I go to work and I think of her and I shed so many tears.”

Briefly addressing Dennis, he said, “I don’t believe you deserve to be out and enjoy life again.”

At the same time, he said, “I have to try to learn to forgive, because I cannot live my life with anger and frustration. I have to forgive because I want to live my life for my daughter.”

Dennis’s attorney, Grant Morrison, asked Bean to give Dennis credit for the 443 days he’s already spent in jail, which the judge did.

Bean explained that state law limits his flexibility in sentencing and that he was imposing the prescribed indeterminate sentence of 15 years to life.

Dean Saunders, a deputy Weber County attorney, told the family he would make sure their letters to the judge would be sent to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, which ultimately will decide how long Dennis remains in prison.

Before imposing sentence, Bean asked Dennis if he wanted to say anything.

“Chynna was very special,” Dennis said in a quiet, halting voice. “I have to live with how much pain and heartache I have caused. I hope one of these days that they will forgive me.”

After the hearing ended, Dennis sat with his head bowed.

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