CEDAR CITY — A man who pleaded guilty in the 2020 death of a St. George woman will be incarcerated for a total of at least 25 years, a judge ordered on Thursday.
Shortly after entering a guilty plea to one count of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, Joseph Edward Fought, 33, was sentenced by Judge Don M. Torgerson to a minimum term of 25 years in the Utah State Prison.
The sentencing, which was based on a negotiated plea agreement, took place during a 10-minute in-person change of plea hearing held in Cedar City’s 5th District Court on Thursday morning.
Fought is the third and final co-defendant to be sentenced in connection with the death of 26-year-old St. George resident Stevie Shay Wilkerson.
As previously reported, Wilkerson’s body was found in Iron County about two weeks after she went missing in August 2020. The state medical examiner’s office ruled that the cause and manner of Wilkerson’s death was homicide by gunshot.
According to court documents, Fought, along with Brittany Elizabeth Phillips and Maida Martinez-Westfall, had taken Wilkerson for a ride in a reportedly stolen pickup truck on or about Aug. 9. Wilkerson’s body was found on Aug. 23 in a remote section of southwestern Iron County.
Approximately one month later, Fought and Phillips were extradited to Cedar City from Southern California to face multiple charges in connection with the case.
Although related, the cases for each of the three defendants were adjudicated separately.
In the first case to be resolved, Phillips was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in December 2021 after pleading guilty to a single count of murder, a first-degree felony.
Then, just over one year later, in December 2022, Martinez-Westfall was sentenced to five consecutive terms of 1-15 years for one count of kidnapping and four counts of obstructing justice. Both she and Phillips are currently incarcerated in the Utah State Prison.
During Thursday’s hearing, Torgerson went through several questions with Fought, confirming his willingness and intent to enter the guilty plea, as stipulated in the agreement. Fought was then asked if he wished to say anything before the sentencing.
Although Fought declined to make a statement to the court directly, he had asked one of his defense attorneys, Ryan Stout, to speak on his behalf.
“He does not want to make a statement because he feels that any words that he would say would ring hollow to the victim’s family, to the Wilkersons and to those that knew Stevie,” Stout told the court. “He doesn’t want to try to say or do anything that would further offend them. The phrase he used is, ‘I took something from them that I can’t replace. And I feel it’s disrespectful to make a statement.’”
“That’s why he’s not making a personal statement,” Stout added. “But he did want me to convey that to the court, to Miss Wilkerson’s family and to those that loved her, that he’s truly sorry. He’s not trying to prolong it any further. He just wants to accept responsibility.”
Before sentencing, Torgerson told Fought, “I think your comments through your counsel are accurate, in the sense that not a lot can be said when you take someone else’s life from them and from their family.”
Added Torgerson:
There is something to be said about you taking responsibility for this, something to be said about doing that without putting them through a difficult trial. But at the end of the day, this was something that I think you’ll have to live your whole life thinking about, considering being accountable for, and that’s barely a drop toward what they have experienced in this case, which is a tragedy that can’t be remedied.
The judge also said he hoped the sentence would serve as a corrective measure.
“I hope that it corrects how you live the rest of your life to some degree,” he said. “I realize you’ll be in custody, but I hope that that gives you pause in the future, and that you think about the life that you took and the harm that you caused this family, because it is significant. And it’s not something that can be remedied by your prison commitment.”
Torgerson gave Fought credit for the time served since he was first booked into Iron County Jail nearly two and a half years ago. The actual amount of time that Fought will ultimately serve will be up to the Utah Board of Pardons, the judge noted.
Fought was also ordered to pay $2,335.56 in restitution, with the final amount to be left open until further determination by the court.
In accordance with the plea agreement, the judge dismissed seven charges against Fought. Those included second-degree felony counts of kidnapping, possession of dangerous weapon by a restricted person and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, in addition to third-degree felony counts of assault by a prisoner and damage to a jail.
Asked to provide a statement afterward, Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson said the following in a text message to Cedar City News:
Stevie Wilkerson’s life was cut short in a truly senseless, callous, and cowardly manner. With the conviction and sentence of Joseph Fought, he will now join his co-defendants at the Utah State Prison. Fought is anticipated to be removed from society for several decades if not the remainder of his life.
Dotson added that he hopes the Wilkerson family will be able to get some closure and continue to heal.
“I also want to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of Detectives Tom Byrd, Nate Houchen, and Mickelle Crofts,” Dotson added. “They did an exceptional job on this investigation.”
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