SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Utah) – Beau Heaps has spent nearly the same amount of time in prison as he has outside the prison walls.
Prison life has been a revolving door for Heaps. It began when he was 17 years old when he was convicted of murder.
But since his release in 2012 for the murder rap, Heaps has been paroled four times. He somehow finds his way back to prison.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth,” the hearing officer asked Heaps recently.
“Absolutely,” was his response.
Tuesday, Heaps appeared before a member of the Utah Board of Pardons
and Parole. He was seeking parole for the fifth time since his release in 2012 for murder.
He’s currently in prison following a 2017 police chase in Utah county.
It began after prison authorities sought his arrest for breaking probation rules. Heaps refused to stop but after crashing he fled and walked into a hospital. An alert police offer recognized him.
“We had an officer working an overnight shift at the hospital and that person became aware of that approximately 1:55 in the morning, that a possible suspect had come to the hospital,” said Sgt. Brian Taylor said in 2017.
It was Heaps who was taken into custody and back to prison.
Heaps was a member of a gang. Although he wasn’t the triggerman, prosecutors claimed he instigated the murder.
Heaps was paroled in 2012 but since then violated parole four times.
He’s remained in prison since the 2017 high-speed chase. He’s now seeking his fifth chance at parole.
(2017) was a low point in my life,” Heaps told the hearing officer. “Never again. In here I don’t use drugs. I know the destruction of it. I violated parole four times and I realize that I don’t have too many more chances.”
Heaps said his problem has been with drugs. Each time he was paroled he’d return to using drugs. And when he returned to prison it wouldn’t be for long periods of time. The 2017 arrest has kept him in prison for the longest time and it’s given him an opportunity to clean himself.
“As difficult as this 5-year rehearing was, it was good for me,” Heaps said. “I hope to get those drugs out and make me realize what I need to do.”
No decision was made Tuesday. The entire board of pardons will review the hearing and decide if Heaps will get a 5th chance at parole.