John Brickman Wall Murder trial: From 2011 to now news stories

If you are just now hearing about the story of Uta von Schwedler and John Brickman Wall for the first time and need a recap. Go here:

World News Videos | ABC World News
48 Hours did a in-depth piece on the whole story.

In Sept. of 2011 Uta von Schwedler was discovered dead in her bathtub in her Sugarhouse home. I had several tips that her death was anything but a suicide.

After weeks of canvassing the Salt Lake City neighborhood and trying to get authorities to go on the record about von Schwedler's death being something more, there was finally a breakthrough.

I was able to get enough to publish a story on Feb 16, 2012 where Salt Lake City police said the death was now being considered "suspicious." Police said nearly four months after the death that they still had "no suspects or persons of interest, but they (weren't) ruling anything out."

Several stories later and almost exactly three years to the date from the publishing of my initial story, John Brickman Wall, Uta von Schwedler's ex-husband will be on trial for her murder. Court and police records showed John Brickman Wall was initially one of the first people police interviewed and interrogated within 24 hours of the reported death.

It took more than 18 months from when he was first interviewed by police to actually be charged with murder.

This story I wrote in July of 2013 as a freelance reporter for City Weekly encapsulates the entirely of a son suspecting his own father of killing his mother.

Arguably, the most instrumental part in the case moving forward was when the oldest son, Pelle Wall von Schwedler put a petition in court accusing his father of killing his mother and asking the courts to take his younger siblings away from his father.

UTAH DOCTOR involved in MURDER CASE: Bail stays at $1.5 million for pediatrician John Brickman Wall charged in Utah Murder Case

NEW STORIFY OF LIVE TWEETS!: Hearing held off, to be rescheduled when current judge on the case comes back from vacation. To the elation of Uta Von Schwedler supporters and son Pelle Wall, bond remains at $1.5 Million for now. I live tweeted the bond reduction hearing for John Brickman Wall, a Utah Pediatrician charged with murder of his ex-wife. Wall is charged with breaking into his ex-wife's home on late Sept. 26 or early morning 27, 2011 and murdering Uta Von Schwedler, 49, a University of Utah biologist inside her Salt Lake City home. Click here for a quick recap on what happened in the case leading up to the alleged murder. The family of the deceased Von Schwedler has said they believe Wall killed her out of frustration he was losing a bitter custody battle over the couple's four children. Medical examiner reports show a sign of a struggle and cuts on Von Schwedler's body that indicate possible defensive wounds. She was found in ice cold water in her bathtub with a knife underneath her and a lethal dose of Xanax (anxiety medication) in her system, a medication she did not have a prescription for. Wall requested a reduction to his $1.5 million cash-only bail from the Salt Lake County Jail. His attorney Fred Metos contests that Wall is not a flight risk and the bail should be lowered to $100,000. The change in bail amount would mean allowing Wall to leave jail while awaiting the murder trial. Various witnesses, family members, friends from both sides and even Wall's oldest son, who has accused him of murdering his mother, are expected to testify during the hearing. His 19-year-old son wants him behind bars.

NATIONAL TV Appearance on GMA: Utah doctor charged with murdering ex-wife

18 Months in the making: 

National TV Good Morning America appearance discussing a case I have covered from the beginning about a Utah doctor charged with murdering his ex-wife and leaving her for dead in her bathtub.

John Brickman Wall Murder Trial: Pediatrician Expected He'd Face Murder Charges | Video - ABC News

The background:

 

When I was a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune I incurred a story many reporters do on a regular basis. It was so unbelievable it couldn't be true. As an intern reporter one time I fell for this and got burned and wasted several days if not weeks chasing down a murder story that never turned out. I learned my lesson and became highly skeptical for future stories that didn't pass the smell test. In this case, a man, a wealthy pediatrician in the Salt Lake City area, is believed and reported by neighbors to have murdered his ex-wife in her own house and drown her in a bathtub, then leave her until the dead woman's boyfriend finds her after he goes to her home after not hearing from her for most of the next day.

Police initially called it a non-significant event and an unattended death, likely believed to be a suicide. But a few things didn't add up. 

When I canvassed the neighborhood and talked to neighbors in Oct of 2011, just two weeks after the death. Everyone said police were discussing how this looked like a homicide. Then after I called neighbors back to discuss those claims further they clammed up and said they no longer wanted to talk because they didn't want to mess up the police investigation or get in trouble for pointing out an issue. So I knew there was some digging to be done.

I started talking to the family. They said I was the only news outlet or reporter to give them the time of day. I had them dump all the information and heresy on me and I would go back and document and back up the missing pieces with court recordings or corroborate in other ways. 

I landed an exclusive interview with the oldest son when he publicly accused his father of killing his mother and moved out. And I ran the first story on the death possibly not being a suicide but a homicide, despite police claims. A document of all my stories are found here on the justice for Uta website.

 

Fast forward to late April 2013, the ex-husband, John Brickman Wall is charged with murder and burglary for breaking into his ex-wife's home and killing her with a knife and giving her a lethal dose of Xanax. DNA evidence of him was found underneath the ex-wife's fingernails.

Now that a national audience begins to watch this case, I continue to report it as a freelance reporter, having left the Tribune to pursue other ventures that paid better to support my family and allowed me to still report on the side.

I left the Tribune in March of 2013, about a month later the charges are filed against Wall. A few days after the story runs, it is picked up nationally and I get a call from New York City from a producer with ABC News and Good Morning America. He asks if I would like to appear to talk about the case. Absolutely I would! This case has been something I have been working on extensively for nearly two years, and it is just about to get even stranger.

I hope you enjoy following my reporting. I will continue to update on here. Check back often for updates.

-CN