Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleges Police Failed to Prevent Murder of Lt. Gov.’s Cousin, Amanda Mayne

The mother of Amanda “Mandy” Mayne, who was murdered by her ex-husband in 2022, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The mother of Amanda “Mandy” Mayne, who was murdered by her ex-husband in 2022, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Salt Lake City Police Department through her attorneys at Parker & McConkie (http://www.parkerandmcconkie.com), claiming officers failed to protect Mandy leading up to the murder despite multiple warnings. The case has received significant attention as Mandy was the cousin of Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who used the case to highlight systematic failures and push for changes to the law governing how police respond to victims of domestic violence.

On August 17, 2022, Mandy was killed by her ex-husband, Taylor Ray Martin, who had a history of violent, unstable behavior, and had been previously arrested at least four times for violent crimes, including domestic violence.

In early 2018, Martin was sentenced to 365 days for various crimes and released by March 2019. Fearing her safety, Mandy moved in with family, petitioned for divorce, and changed her contact information.

On August 15, 2022, Martin appeared at Mandy’s work claiming to have been sent by a temp agency. Soon after arriving, Martin saw Mandy and her boyfriend in the breakroom, assaulted Mandy, and screamed at her boyfriend. Mandy's coworkers called the police to the scene.
During the ensuing investigation, Martin made statements revealing his obsession with Mandy. Mandy then told officers of Martin's violent history, expressed a belief that Martin was stalking her, and asked for a protective order.

Following their investigation, officers escorted Martin from the premises. Martin was reluctant to leave and told officers they would have to kill him if they tried taking him back to jail.

The next day, Mandy's employer received an email threatening her, her boyfriend, and their coworkers signed by John Dillinger, an early 20th-century gangster who was killed by a federal officer after being betrayed by his girlfriend's former employer. Officers contacted Mandy and learned an unknown number had sent her a threatening message: "I hope you get killed by a car or something this week[.]" (emphasis added).

On August 17, 2022, Martin ambushed and murdered Mandy as she waited for the bus to work.

Mandy’s parents strongly believe her death was preventable. In January 2023, they attended a session of the Utah Senate for a bill requiring officers throughout Utah to conduct a lethality assessment. As part of an ongoing effort to improve officer training relating to domestic violence, Mandy’s mother, Shauna Mayne, hired the law firm of Parker & McConkie to file a lawsuit against the Salt Lake City Police Department for negligence resulting in the wrongful death of her daughter.

This lawsuit challenges precedent from the Utah Supreme Court — the 1996 case of Tiede v. State — which precludes family members from suing when loved ones are lost to domestic violence that law enforcement could have prevented. Shauna Mayne hopes this lawsuit will bring much-needed change: "It was heartbreaking to learn of the warning signs leading up to Mandy being ambushed and killed […] Her request for help went unanswered. Something fundamental has to change."

In a statement, Judson Burton, an attorney at Parker & McConkie, said: “As the grandson of a former officer for the Salt Lake City Police Department, I am personally grateful to all who serve to keep our communities safe. As citizens, we have an interest in ensuring police receive the training and resources they need to carry out their missions. But we also have an obligation to help make families whole when they lose loved ones due to such failures. In the end, this lawsuit alleges a claim for the wrongful death of Mandy against [the] Salt Lake City Police Department and asks the courts to recognize that all citizens have a constitutional right to assert such a claim against a governmental entity when the death results from preventable, domestic violence."

Parker & McConkie is challenging the constitutionality of the same law in a similar lawsuit arising from the death of Gabby Petito in 2021.

A copy of the Mayne Complaint (Case No. 240902420) is available here: https://www.parkerandmcconkie.com/blogs/wrongful-death-lawsuit-alleges-police-failed-to-prevent-murder-of-lt-gov-s-cousin-amanda-mayne

David Watkins
Otter PR
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