Two teenagers have pleaded guilty for their roles in the killing of a Moab man in exchange for having their cases moved to juvenile court. The two waived a preliminary hearing, which would have been held Sept. 28.
Court records show 17-year-old Brody Blu Kruckenberg pleaded guilty to manslaughter and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to juvenile detention until he turns 21.
The 17-year-old Charles Anthony Nelson pleaded guilty to obstructing justice. His sentence is pending a psychological assessment by juvenile court.
The two teens were both 16 years old when they had been originally charged as adults with the murder of Gregorio Salazar Campos, the boyfriend of Kruckenberg’s mother, Corina Dawn Yardley. The teens would have faced five years to life in prison on the murder counts if they were found guilty.
Yardley, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing justice on Tuesday, July 9. She was released from the Grand County Jail for time served and fined $1016. She will be on probation for 36 months.
Authorities have sealed some documents in the case, saying they deal with drug trafficking connected to violent groups.
Both boys have been held at the Grand County Jail since they were taken into custody in April.
Campos’ body was found on the morning of Sunday, April 7 in the water near the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Colorado River. The 33-year-old man had been reported missing to the Moab Police Department on March 29. In the police report, it was said that he had been last seen by his girlfriend, Yardley.
Yardley told officers at the time that she had last seen Campos in her bed on March 25.
On April 6, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office received information that Nelson claimed to have killed someone and said “the person was an illegal so no one would miss him.”
According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office probable cause statement, Nelson said that he had been contacted by Kruckenberg who said that Campos was asleep in his mother’s bed and said “let’s kill him.” Nelson said that Kruckenberg said that he couldn’t kill Campos and asked Nelson to do it.
According statement, Nelson and Kruckenberg were questioned about the incident and supplied details with the shooting and dumping of the body.
The information provided by Nelson and Kruckenberg led to the recovery of Campos’ body in an area known as the Old Boat Dock, which is near the pedestrian bridge crossing the Colorado River.
Three slugs were recovered from Campos head. The entry points were consistent with the description from the informant.
A search warrant was served on Yardley’s residence near the end of Riversands Lane on the northwest side of Moab. Evidence supported the described location of Campos’ death. Blood was found in the area near the head of the bed on both the carpet and the wall.
