In the quiet town of Grantsville, Utah, the evening of January 17, 2020, was shattered by a tragic event that would leave the community in mourning. Inside their family home, 52-year-old Consuelo Alejandra Alex Reyes, a woman known for her warmth and dedication to her family, became the first victim in a sequence of brutal acts committed by her own son.
Over a period of five horrifying hours, her 16-year-old son, Colin Jeffery "CJ" Haynie, methodically shot and killed his mother and three of his younger siblings as they each returned home.
The calculated nature of the violence was chilling. After killing his mother, Colin lay in wait for his siblings. His 15-year-old sister Alexis, 14-year-old brother Matthew, and 12-year-old sister Milan were each fatally shot upon their arrival. The series of attacks culminated when his father, Colin Haynie Sr., returned home. The teenager also shot his father, but the elder Haynie managed to wrestle the gun away from his son, bringing an end to the violence. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg but survived. Another son was away at college and was physically unharmed.
The motive behind the devastating act, as later revealed, was rooted in familial conflict and the teenager's desire for a "clean slate." He had reportedly been having arguments with his father and expressed a desire to start a new life. In the aftermath, Colin Haynie Jr. was arrested and charged as an adult with four counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted aggravated murder, and multiple counts of felony discharge of a firearm. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges.
The legal proceedings concluded with a sentence that reflected the gravity of the crimes. Colin Haynie Jr. was sentenced to four consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison, ensuring he would spend the vast majority of his life behind bars for the murder of his mother and siblings. The community of Grantsville was left to grapple with the profound loss of a mother and her three children, a tragedy that forever marked their quiet town.
