Murder Charge Filed in 2016 Cold Case for Body Found Near Great Saltair

Today, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced a murder and obstruction of justice charge filed against Casteil Franklin Hamlett for his alleged role in the death of C.C. in 2016.  
 
On February 11, 2016, Unified Police were dispatched to a possible deceased body near Saltair in Salt Lake County. When they arrived, they found a deceased male in his 20’s wearing jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and dark colored shoes. The male had a gunshot wound to the right cheek and another to the left chest area. Police found a wallet on the body, as well as Jolly Rancher and Now and Later candy wrappers in the jeans pocket, but not a cell phone. A search of the scene also found a spent shell casing, an e-cigarette, and an unwrapped partially consumed green Jolly Rancher. The male was later identified as C.C. Through the investigation, detectives learned that C.C. had planned to rob an acquaintance of him and the defendant, J.M., because J.M. had just won thousands of dollars from a bet on the super bowl.  
 
On February 9, 2016, J.M. threw a party to celebrate winning his super bowl bet. The defendant went to the party and told J.M. about C.C.’s plan to rob J.M. of his winnings. During a 2016 interview, the defendant told police that he picked up C.C. after that party and they drove around smoking and looking for girls. The defendant said he then dropped off C.C. at some apartments near 2100 South and 200 East. A review of C.C.’s last calls and texts put him near the area of his house just after midnight on February 10, 2016.  
 
In 2016, police searched the defendant’s car where they found and photographed muddy boots, cash, and, in the backseat, a bag of Jolly Rancher and Now and Later candy. A review of call detail records from the defendant on February 10, 2016, shows that he received a text from J.M. near C.C.’s home at 0055. From 0055 hours until 0353 hours, both C.C. and the defendant’s phones went silent and appeared to have no cellphone tower hits or communications. At 0353 hours, the defendant’s and C.C.’s cell phones connected to towers in Salt Lake City, soon after C.C.’s cell phone never connects to another tower.  
 
D.H. told police that on February 10, 2016, the defendant arrived at their home at 7:00 a.m., removed the battery for each of their cell phones, turned music on, took her into a side room, and closed the door and spoke to her. They then went to the interview where police searched the defendant’s car and went to Wendover after. On their way back from Wendover the defendant stopped to search for a gun near where C.C.’s body was found but was unable to find it.   
 
During the investigation, detectives learned that at J.M.’s party, there was a lot of conversation about C.C. being a problem. It was determined that the group at the party talked about assaulting C.C., kidnapping C.C., dropping C.C. off halfway to Wendover and breaking his leg, and even killing C.C. 
 
The clothes C.C. was wearing when his body was found were taken to the crime lab to be tested. In a report from the State Crime Lab a DNA profile consistent with the defendant’s DNA profile was found on the inside of C.C.’s left jacket pocket.  
 
The defendant is charged with one count of first-degree felony murder, one count of first-degree felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, and one count of second-degree felony obstruction of justice.  
 
“We appreciate the patience of the victim’s family as this case was put together over the last nine years. The wheels of justice may move slowly sometimes, but this office will push them forward to pursue accountability for the victims in our community and their loved ones,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “We appreciate the dedication of the Unified Police Department detectives that spent years working with prosecutors at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office to put this case together so these charges could be filed.  All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law."