A Utah teenager who told investigators he was asleep when his mother and younger brother were shot to death inside their home is now facing murder charges 17 months later, after detectives uncovered troubling messages that allegedly revealed deep hostility toward his mom.
The boy was 15 when his mother, Jessica Lyman, 44, and his 8-year-old half-brother, Eli Painter, were found fatally shot in the head at their Saratoga Springs home on March 27, 2025. His 17-year-old sister made the horrific discovery the following morning, authorities said.
“He claimed to have been sleeping and stated he had not heard the gunshots, (his sister’s) frantic and high-volume conversation with 911, which took place immediately next to his bedroom, or the initial entry of multiple officers and EMT personnel,” officials wrote in court documents obtained by KSL.
Investigators, however, said surveillance video from a neighbor’s home appeared to tell a different story. According to court filings, the footage captured what sounded like an argument shortly before the gunfire — and later showed a masked figure leaving the area, allegedly to get rid of the murder weapon.
“Near midnight, a woman’s voice, consistent with (Lyman’s) can be heard shouting … ‘What are you doing?!’” the documents said, describing voices investigators believe were “consistent” with the teen suspect and the victims.
“Less than two minutes later, three gunshots are heard: one, followed by a brief pause, and then two in very rapid succession. (The teen) later admitted in a police interview that he and (his mother) had argued that night,” the court documents stated.
Less than three hours after the shooting, “a figure in a mask is seen on several different home surveillance cameras in the neighborhood,” investigators wrote in the filings.
Authorities alleged that “this figure is the same height and the same build” as the teen suspect, and that “the mask and some clothing items are consistent with items” he was known to wear, according to the documents.
“Based on the path of travel in the surveillance video as well as time periods where the masked figure is not visible, (he) could have disposed of the murder weapon in several locations,” including a nearby river that was searched with no luck, the documents stated.
Despite claiming he had been asleep when his mom and brother were shot — and even still when emergency crews arrived — the teen “had gunshot residue on multiple items of clothing, including the clothing he was wearing” when first responders arrived, the docs stated.
He also had “scratches on his right shoulder” — and his DNA was found under the fingernails of one of the murdered relatives, as well as “on the waistband” of his slain mom’s shorts.
Investigators then found a series of disturbing messages by the boy after searching the home and his devices — including one titled, “This is a murder story,” according to documents seen by KUTV.
“Leave me the f–-k alone,” he also allegedly messaged his mom, while also calling her a “witch.”
“Do you know how insignificant you are in my life? Very insignificant,” he said, while also saying he would be happy without her in his life.
“I wish I died in your stomach. Wouldn’t have to put up with you,” he allegedly penned in another message.
The boy, now 16, was charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
He was charged as a juvenile but prosecutors stressed that it is “the state’s intention in filing this criminal Information to bind the defendant over to the adult district court.”
In Utah, adults convicted of aggravated murder face a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Lyman’s family welcomed the development.
“Today’s arrest marks an important step toward justice for our daughter and sister, Jessica Orton Lyman, and our grandson and nephew, Eli Painter,” they said in a statement issued by police.
