Conrad Mark Truman of Orem is accused of killing his wife. (Photo courtesy the Utah County Sheriff's Office)
An Orem man accused of killing his wife last year will stand trial, after a Provo judge decided at a Jan. 10 hearing that there is enough evidence to believe he was responsible.
Conrad Mark Truman was arrested last June for allegedly murdering his wife, Heidy Truman, who died of a gunshot wound to the head in 2012.
'The court believes that there is probable cause to an intentional murder, and the perpetrator is the defendant,' said Judge Samuel McVey at the conclusion of the hearing in Provo's Fourth District Court.
McVey declared Conrad Mark Truman 'bound over,' meaning he will be kept in custody until he stands trial.
McVey's pronouncement followed oral arguments from the prosecuting and defense attorneys. He said his decision was based on the medical evidence of the case and the contradiction between Conrad's story and the location of the body, which, he said, is 'totally inconsistent.'
According to Conrad Mark Truman, on the night of the incident he and his wife were together in their Orem home. They had an argument, and she went to take a bath while he was watching TV in the living room. Both were intoxicated. He heard a pop coming from the bathroom, and Heidy Truman appeared in the kitchen, where she fell to the ground.
However, the body was found on the other side of the kitchen, at least eight feet from where Conrad Mark Truman described it, prosecuting attorney Craig Johnson said.
Johnson cited the findings of Dr. Edward Leis, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy. Leis concluded that the trajectory of the bullet through Heidy Truman's brain would have immediately suspended all motor skills, making it highly improbable that she would have made it across the kitchen.
'Mr. Truman has really put himself between a rock and a hard place,' Johnson said.
Conrad Mark Truman's defense attorney, Ron Yengich, argued that all explanations have to be considered, including the possibility that it was just an accident.
'There appeared to be a love between them,' he said, quoting a family member of the Trumans. 'Mere presence at the scene of a crime is not enough for conviction or probable cause.'
In addition to murder, Conrad Mark Truman was charged with obstruction of justice for issuing conflicting explanations of the incident to the police, including suicide, an accident and an outside shooter.
Yengich said this charge has no merit.
'He wasn't explaining what happened so much as speculating as to what he thought may have happened,' he said. 'He is consistent with one statement: he hears a pop, and she falls.'
The judge said this matter will be decided with the outcome of the murder trial.
'If he did commit the murder, he did obstruct justice,' the judge said.
Heidy Truman's family was present at the hearing, dressed in purple in honor of domestic violence awareness. They issued a statement at the close of the hearing, publicly thanking the Orem City Police Department and the emergency first responders for all they did to treat their daughter with dignity and try to save her life.
Conrad Mark Truman's family, also present at the trial, declined to comment.
Conrad Mark Truman will appear in court again for an arraignment on Feb. 10, after which a trial will be scheduled.