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Show Layton man sentenced for 1 987 killing By GARY R. BLODGETT LAYTON A 21 -year-old Layton man has been sentenced to five years to life in prison after being be-ing convicted of killing a Clearfield man near Willard Bay in August 1987. John Fletcher Pendergrass was earlier convicted of killing Ray D. Jenkins, whose body was found near the south marina of Willard Bay. The victim had been shot twice in the head. In addition to the second-degree murder conviction, the defendant was also given a sentence of 1 to IS years in prison by First District Judge Gordon Lowe for use of a firearm during the commission of a felony theft Judge Lowe, of Brigham City, set the prison terms to be served concurrently. Court records show that Pedergrass was convicted of killing Jenkins, and then stealing the truck of the victim's girlfriend to make his getaway. In defense of his case, defense attorney Dale Dorius said Pendergrass had no recollection of what happened that night. In a separate court action, a West Valley man has pleaded not guilty in Second District Court, Farm-ington, Farm-ington, to two counts of aggravated burglary to a number of alleged break-ins of storage sheds in Centerville. Jaren K. Johnson, 35, was scheduled for a pretrial hearing next. Tuesday, and a trial date was set for Nov. 8. He is being held in Davis County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond. Johnson was arrested shortly after midnight Sept. 14 by Centerville Center-ville police officer Vic Iverson, who was making a search of the area after noticing doors of several storage sheds had been left ajar. Police reports show that a man, armed with a knife, was hiding in a nearby field. The defendant was originally charged with five first-degree felony counts of aggravated burglary, but three of those counts were dismissed in a preliminary hearing held in Bountiful Second Circuit Court. |