Man convicted of killing Provo police officer Shinners gets life without parole | News, Sports, Jobs

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Matt Frank Hoover, who is accused of murdering Provo Police Officer Joseph Shinners and faces other criminal charges, enters 4th District Court for his first appearance Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Provo.

Evan Cobb, Daily Herald file photo

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Officer Joseph William Shinners, killed in the line of duty on January 5, 2019.

Courtesy of the Provo Police Department

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Four months after a jury trial, the man convicted of aggravated murder in the 2019 killing of Provo police officer Joseph Shinners was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Matt Hoover was convicted in March, more than five years after Shinners' death. Hoover was also convicted of failure to comply with police orders, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm as a restricted person.

Hoover was also sentenced Tuesday to three additional sentences on the other counts, each with prison terms ranging from zero to five consecutive years.

Provo District Judge Kraig Powell, who handed down the sentence, described Hoover's criminal history as “serious, extensive and cruel.”

Powell said Hoover has been the subject of numerous accusations dating back to before he became an adult, and that pattern continues into adulthood.

“I don't believe Mr. Hoover learned from his mistakes,” Powell said, a factor in the judge not granting the possibility of parole.

“We cannot allow people to behave like this in society,” Powell said, adding that the type of behavior demonstrated by Hoover deserves the maximum sentences.

Provo Police Chief Troy Beebe; Kaylyn Shinners, the officer's wife; and other family members addressed the judge before Hoover's sentencing, expressing their feelings of loss after Officer Shinners' death.

Family members were emotional as they spoke to the judge, often describing life's happy moments over the past five years as “bittersweet” without Shinners.

“All my moments of happiness and joy are also moments of sadness because Joe is not here to share them with me,” Kaylyn Shinners said through tears. She added that her two young sons are experiencing the greatest suffering as they grow up without their father.

Beebe said Hoover's actions left “a trail of devastation and heartache” and caused “indescribable heartache” to his family.

“Hoover took a father, a brother, a son and a wife,” he said. “He also took a beloved public servant.”

In a statement released after the sentencing, the Provo Police Department said Shinners' loss left an “irreplaceable void in the lives of his family, our police department and our city.”

“Justice is responsibility. Today, we thank Judge Powell for upholding accountability by imposing the maximum sentence possible – recognizing the severity of the loss to Joe’s family and to our community as a whole,” the statement continued. “In the words of Joe's widow, Kaylyn: 'Our police officers and their families need to know that as a society we do not tolerate the killing of our police officers.' »

Hoover also had the opportunity to address the judge, where he apologized to the family, saying he did not intend to kill Shinners.

“I know what it’s like to lose a family. It hurts,” he said. “That was never my intention. I never intended to hurt anyone.

Throughout the trial, the defense argued that Hoover was attempting suicide when Shinners was shot, arguing that he did not intend to harm others.

Shinners was killed on Jan. 5, 2019, outside an Orem shopping center as he and several other Provo and Orem police officers attempted to arrest Hoover on outstanding drug warrants. .

Shinners was shot in the chest after jumping from the passenger side of a van that Hoover tried to flee in after officers surrounded the vehicle. Police ordered him out of the truck before attempting to flee, and Shinners ran after an Orem officer.

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