Utah man charged with murdering young niece now charged with raping her

LOGAN — A man accused of kidnapping and murdering his 5-year-old niece now faces two more felony charges: rape of a child and sodomy of a child.

The Cache County Attorney's Office announced Wednesday it filed the new first-degree felony charges against Alex Whipple after receiving additional evidence from the Utah State Crime Lab.

Whipple, 21, is also charged with aggravated murder and child kidnapping, first-degree felonies; two counts of obstructing justice, second-degree felonies; and abuse or desecration of a body, a third-degree felony, in the death of Elizabeth "Lizzy" Shelley.

Lizzy was reported missing on May 25 after her mother — Whipple's sister — and her fiance woke up to find Lizzy and Whipple gone from their house. Whipple had been invited to stay on the couch at his sister's house the previous night, according to court documents.

Police found Lizzy's body a half block away from her home, ending a five-day search, after Whipple agreed to tell his attorney where his niece's body was. In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to pursue a potential death sentence against him.

from Deseret News http://bit.ly/2EUNKw9