Death of 2-year-old St. George goes to court after no settlement reached

ST. GEORGE, Utah – No agreement has been reached in the case of a man accused of beating a 2-year-old child to death in St. George.

Randy Lessing of LaVerkin is accused of violence against his stepdaughter Emmaline Mitchell in July 2023, which led to her death, according to family and police. Lessing said the child fell.

On Tuesday afternoon, Lessing's attorney Douglas Terry told Judge Jay Windward in 5th District Court that although they had been working on a deal, they had not been able to reach an agreement with prosecutors.

Terry told FOX 13 News after the hearing that they were close to reaching an agreement.

“Just not close enough,” Terry said. “And my client is entitled to a deal.”

Windward set the trial to begin on September 16 in St. George.

Mitchell's grandmother, Tammy Teeples, told FOX 13 earlier this week that she and her family members would have preferred a trial or an admission of guilt rather than a “November plea.”

Teeples, her daughter Zzkora Ringger and prosecutors made no comment after the hearing and said they would wait until trial to make further statements.