How Could You? Hall of Shame-Alex and Benjie Vidinhar case-Child Deaths

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions

From Farmington, Utah, adoptive brother Aza Ray Vidinhar,17, “stabbed his adopted siblings, Alex, 10, and four-year-old Benjie, a total of 116 times while he was babysitting them at his family’s home in West Point, Utah, on May 22, 2013.”
“A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to 15 years to life in adult prison – nearly a year after he admitted to killing his two younger brothers because they had turned the television up too loud.”
“Last June, he confessed to Alex’s murder in juvenile court and Benjie’s killing in adult court in an unusual plea deal that was designed to allow him to stay in the juvenile system until the age of 21.

He was not due to be sentenced for his youngest brother’s murder until then. But the arrangement unraveled last November when Vidinhar attacked another inmate with a broom, violating the deal.

This forced the state to sentence Vidinhar for Benjie’s stabbing now, instead of in four years’ time.

On Wednesday, the killer showed no emotion as 2nd District Court Judge David Hamilton sentenced him to 15 years to life at Utah State Prison for murdering the little boy, according to Deseret News.

Judge Hamilton ordered the term to run consecutively with his sentence of up to five years in prison for assaulting the unidentified inmate during his time at the Mill Creek Youth Center detention facility

Prior to the sentencing, prosecutors stressed that Vidinhar has shown no remorse for stabbing one of his brothers 88 times, and the other 28 times, before leaving the knife stuck in one of their necks.

‘He has a callous indifference toward life and toward others,’ Davis County Deputy District Attorney Brandon Poll told the court, where Vidinhar was standing in handcuffs and an orange prison suit.

The double murder last spring sent shockwaves through the middle-class area where Vidinhar’s family live. Alex and Benjie were found dead when their mother returned home with her three girls.

At first, Vidinhar was thought to be a third victim because he was missing from the property, but police found him hours later covered in blood. Officials initially thought the attack was unplanned.

But on Wednesday, Mr Poll said that Vidinhar had earlier planned to kill his siblings because they were watching television too loudly at their home in West Point, 25 miles north of Salt Lake City.

The teenager also ‘didn’t care’ how his parents felt – and did not feel guilty for attacking the inmate the next year, he said. ‘He stated he would have killed him if he would have had enough time,’ said Poll.

Vidinhar was sentenced to up to five years in adult prison for assaulting the unidentified prisoner – a third-degree felony.

He will serve that five years before he serves the term he was handed for Benjie’s murder.

In his defense, Vidinhar told Judge Hamilton on Tuesday that ‘there is nothing’ to say, according to Good4Utah.com.

However, his attorney, Todd Utzinger, countered his client’s apparent ‘lack of empathy’.

‘It’s easy to take one line out of a 30-page report and make him look terrible,’ Mr Utzinger said, claiming that Vidinhar has previously mentioned feeling sorry for his devastated parents.

He added that the suspect is ‘immature’ and mentally ill, not a cold-hearted killer.

And he said changes need to be made in the justice system to give judges more sentencing options in such cases, Fox reported.

‘I don’t think any 17 year old ought to be in prison,’ Mr Utzinger said.

At the time Vidinhar’s plea deal was made last June, Judge Janice Frost said the agreement would give the killer vital access to treatment and rehabilitation services in juvenile detention.

Judge Frost implored Vidinhar to take advantage of the treatment he would receive at Mill Creek Youth Center, and the opportunity to finish his high school degree while behind bars.

She also warned him that how he behaved would impact on his sentence in adult prison.

‘You can’t make up for what happened. But you can commit to doing better and being better. It’s a sad thing that happened, but you can move forward from this,’ she told Vidinhar at the time.

‘I hope you can take advantage of your opportunity.’

In a joint obituary, Alex was described as an outgoing and friendly boy who loved meeting new people, while Benjie was described as a more reserved child who had a passion for trucks and hot wheels.

Vindinhar was aged 15 when he killed his younger brothers. He was a ninth-grader at West Point Junior High School. Neighbors said he was a quiet boy who excelled in his school studies.

He had previously made headlines in 2011 when he ran away from home, sparking a massive search. He was eventually found sitting in a Wendy’s restaurant four miles from home. 

At the time of Alex and Benjie’s slayings, the boys’ father was on active military duty in Alabama.”
‘He has a callous indifference to life’: Boy, 17, who stabbed his two little brothers 116 TIMES because they had the TV on too loud sentenced to life
[Daily Mail 5/14/15 by Sophie Jane Evans]

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