SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – The man suspected of murdering University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck in June of 2019 pleaded guilty during a Wednesday court appearance.
Ayoola Ajayi was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Police have said Lueck was last seen getting into Ajayi’s car in June 2019, shortly before her death.
Her body was found with her arms bound behind her in a canyon 85 miles (138 kilometers) from Ajayi’s home in Salt Lake City. She died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill released a statement on the guilty pleading of Ajayi and said:
Today Ayoola Ajayi entered a plea of guilty for Aggravated Murder, and Desecration of a Human Body surrounding the tragic death of Mackenzie Lueck. Ayoola Ajayi also pled guilty to Forcible Sex Abuse in a separate case. Part of the Plea Agreement is that Ayoola Ajayi will spend his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators, and police officers that helped resolve this matter. The entry of the pleas today starts the process of bringing some closure and a measure of justice to the Lueck family.
We spoke with the parents of Mackenzie, Greg and Dianne. At this time the family requests that the media please respect their privacy and refrain from contacting them.
Sentencing for Ayoola Ajayi will happen on October 23, 2020.