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Morgan County woman gets 5 to life for Ogden shooting

By Mark Shenefelt - | Aug 9, 2022

Photo supplied, Weber County Jail

Mauren Wall

OGDEN — Judge Reuben Renstrom said he was impressed that jailers had written character letters in support of Mauren Wall, who came before him Tuesday for sentencing in the nearly fatal shooting of an Ogden man.

“You come from a very strong home,” the judge told Wall. “Most of the inmates do not come from strong homes.”

Wall tearfully read to Renstrom excerpts of the letters that Weber County Jail deputies had submitted to Renstrom, hailing her compassionate focus on other inmates during her more than 500 days of incarceration.

“While I sympathize with all of that,” Renstrom told her, “this is not just about learning one’s lesson. It is also about punishment for committing a crime, and the aggravated nature of injuries caused.”

Charging documents said Wall, 32, of Porterville in Morgan County, allegedly entered a Brinker Avenue house without permission on Jan. 12, 2021, was confronted by a woman who arrived home, then drew a handgun and shot a man “who tried to escort her off the property.”

Renstrom sentenced her to five years to life in prison each on charges of aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery and one to 15 years each on charges of aggravated assault, use of a firearm by a restricted person and obstructing justice. All the sentences will run concurrently. Renstrom also closed two probation violation cases against Wall.

“You’re going to prison and you’re going to thrive there like you did in the jail,” Renstrom told Wall. “I would be remiss if I turned a blind eye to the catastrophic injury that occurred here.”

The 41-year-old man who was shot told the court that the shooting “has significantly changed my life. I walk with a limp and I am in pain constantly.” He said he had to change careers because he can no longer do hard labor.

Defense attorney Randall Richards unsuccessfully urged Renstrom to set aside the jury’s verdicts against Wall and dismiss the case. “All of the allegations were made by individuals who most admitted were high on drugs,” Richards said. “They all had two stories and made contradicting statements about what happened.”

He also asserted that police did not do a thorough examination and collection of evidence and that a reasonable jury could not rely on the available evidence to find Wall guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

“The officers did look for evidence,” responded prosecutor Dean Saunders with the Weber County Attorney’s Office. “What they found did not corroborate her version.”

Renstrom said there was no question Wall should not have been in the home. He said evidence was “overwhelming” that Wall owned the gun and brought it to the house.

The victim “almost didn’t survive the surgery,” Saunders said. “We were within a whisker’s breadth of this being a murder case.” He also said Wall “hasn’t taken any responsibility for this.”

“She’s certainly sorry it happened,” Richards said, “and knows it was a bad idea to go to that house.” He asked that Wall be put on probation.

Wall said she was injured 11 years ago in a car crash caused by a drunken driver. It led to an addiction to painkillers, she explained, “and it led me down some dark paths with the wrong crowd.”

She said she has compassion for people and always has. “I am not a violent person,” she said.

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