Cedar City woman intentionally caused fatal crash, police say

A Cedar City woman was charged Thursday with murder and accused of intentionally driving a car head-on into another vehicle in May, killing a Richfield man.

A Cedar City woman was charged Thursday with murder and accused of intentionally driving a car head-on into another vehicle in May, killing a Richfield man. (Shutterstock)


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RICHFIELD — A Cedar City woman was arrested Wednesday and accused of purposely crashing head-on into another vehicle, possibly as a suicide attempt, resulting in the death of a man in the other vehicle.

Lesia Ann Allred, 53, was booked into the Sevier County Jail on Wednesday and charged Thursday in 6th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; and aggravated assault causing serious injury, a second-degree felony.

The Utah Highway Patrol and Richfield police responded to a head-on crash near 300 North and 100 East on May 27. Allred, who was driving a 2010 Chevy Tahoe, crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a 2012 Chevy Malibu, according to a police booking affidavit.

The force of the collision propelled the Malibu 75 feet and resulted in the Tahoe rolling onto its roof, according to MidUtahRadio.com. Allred and the two occupants of the Malibu were all taken to local hospitals.

Clinton Duane Henrie, 47, of Richfield, died the next day from his injuries, according to his obituary. His wife, Jaymi Lee Henrie, suffered a broken leg and pelvis, the affidavit states.

Troopers with the State Bureau of Investigation downloaded data from the Tahoe's airbag module as part of their crash investigation.

"A preliminary analysis showed that the Tahoe was at full acceleration at the time of the collision, consistent with a deliberate action," according to the affidavit.

Video collected from a security camera at a nearby restaurant showed Allred being in control of her vehicle as she turned onto 300 North from Main Street. "The vehicle then appears to make another deliberate left turn into oncoming traffic and accelerate, directly targeting the Chevrolet Malibu," the affidavit says.

Investigators also served search warrants seeking Allred's medical records and learned that she had told staff members at one hospital that "she was suicidal and had plans to carry out her suicide within the last month prior to the crash," the affidavit says.

Police have asked that Allred be held in jail without bail because of her suicidal ideas, because she has violated two protective orders against her since being released from the hospital, and because she is homeless, according to the affidavit.

"Because of her homeless status, she roams from shelter to shelter, and whatever residence that will allow her to stay. In the last several months she has resided at shelters and residences in Richfield, St. George, and Cedar City. Lesia does not have a cellphone and does not have a job. Lesia constitutes a safety risk to both herself, the subjects of the protective orders, and the community. Lesia also constitutes a likely flight risk with no reliable way of tracking her down if released," investigators wrote in the arrest report.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the Utah Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255, or the Emotional Health Relief Hotline 1-833-442-2211.

Additional crisis hotlines:

  • Utah County Crisis Line: 801-226-4433
  • Salt Lake County/UNI Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
  • Wasatch Mental Health Crisis Line: 801-373-7393
  • National Suicide Prevention Crisis Text Line: Text "HOME" to 741-741
  • Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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