Weber County staff seek contract counsel for renewed Doug Lovell sentencing proceedings

Weber County attorneys asked the Board of Commissioners on Aug. 25 to place a proposed contract for outside counsel on a future agenda to support renewed sentencing proceedings in the long-running Doug Lovell capital case. The contract request centers on hiring attorney Gary Heward to provide hourly prosecutorial assistance under a not-to-exceed cap; county attorneys said Heward previously handled the case and brings institutional knowledge that would reduce duplicative work. Chris Allred, Weber County attorney, told commissioners the matter remains “human resource intensive” and described Heward as “the one that’s actually handled this Doug Lovell case literally from the beginning,” saying that experience would “be a huge asset in terms of keeping this going forward without us having to reinvent the wheel.” Why it matters: The county faces a renewed sentencing phase in the case rather than a full retrial, but Allred said the sentencing phase requires reintroducing much of the trial evidence and is “pretty much as onerous as having a whole new trial.” Prosecutors said the court’s sentencing options are constrained by the law that governed the original sentence. What was discussed: Allred explained the prosecution’s practical need for supplemental counsel during intense hearing and trial periods, noting existing in-house prosecutors could cover the work but that Heward’s prior involvement would save time and avoid duplicated effort. Commissioners asked whether the state is providing funding; Allred said he was not aware of any state funding for prosecution and that indigent defense funds would not help the county’s prosecutorial costs. Timing and budget: Commissioners and staff discussed when Heward would start billing and whether costs would hit the current fiscal year. Allred said Heward must monitor his own retirement-earnings limits and would manage when he bills to avoid triggering retirement consequences. Staff said they would monitor the county attorney’s operating budget as bills arrive. The transcript records a reference to a defense-contract cap of roughly $200,000 as a comparison point, and Allred said the county was seeking a substantially smaller not-to-exceed cap for Heward; the exact cap amount in the proposed agreement was not specified clearly in the meeting transcript. Next steps: Commissioners agreed staff should place the proposed agreement on a future commission agenda for formal action. No vote on the contract itself occurred during the work session.