In the early morning hours of July 24, 2016, the life of 34-year-old Justin Bruce Hanna was tragically cut short in a burst of violence that shattered the peace of a Cedar City, Utah, mobile home park. Responding to reports of gunshots at approximately 6:38 a.m. in the Reber Court trailer park, police officers arrived to find a grim scene. Inside a residence at 515 North 400 West, they discovered Hanna, a male, deceased from what was later determined to be multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the homicide quickly pointed to 27-year-old Mark Mair as the primary suspect. Believed to be heavily armed with a. 40-caliber handgun, an additional handgun, an SKS rifle, and a sawed-off shotgun, Mair became the subject of a multi-state manhunt. Investigators also identified a 19-year-old woman, Elcha Hatch, as an accomplice who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle, aiding Mair in his escape from the scene of the crime.
The search for the suspects expanded to Grand Junction, Colorado, where authorities located Mair and Hatch on the evening of July 26, 2016. Mair was taken into custody and faced charges of aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, and seven counts of felony discharge of a firearm. Hatch was arrested on a warrant for obstruction of justice. The motive for the fatal shooting remained under investigation.
Further investigation revealed that two other individuals had assisted Mair and Hatch in their attempt to flee. Elcha's mother, Michelle Partridge, and another man, Robert Schexnayder, were also taken into custody. They were apprehended by the Utah Highway Patrol near Green River, Utah, and faced charges of obstruction of justice for their roles in aiding the primary suspects' flight from the law.
