An Oakley man accused of strangling his wife has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.
Kevin D. Wilde, 64, was originally charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Summit County’s Third District Court after attacking his elderly wife and fleeing the state in July 2024. All four felony charges included domestic violence enhancements.
However, Wilde entered a guilty plea in August, agreeing to a first-degree felony conviction for aggravated sexual assault in return for all other charges in the case being dismissed.
The punishment for the aggravated sexual assault charge is lengthier than it would have been for attempted murder, which has a minimum sentence of three years in prison, leading to the guilty plea compromise and dropped charges.
Summit County Third District Judge Richard Mrazik on Friday sentenced Wilde to at least 10 years with a possibility of life in prison, according to court documents. Wilde is also required to pay approximately $2,386 in restitution in addition to complying with a continuous protective order preventing him from contacting his wife.
Wilde was found in Montana about 24 hours after the couple’s adult son reported the assault to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies at the time said incapacitating injuries delayed the woman’s ability to communicate the assault.
Charging documents stated Wilde asked the woman to engage in sexual activity on the afternoon of July 22, 2024, and he became upset when she declined. He then pushed her down a flight of stairs leading to their basement, prosecutors said.
Wilde reportedly assaulted the woman and strangled her with both hands. The woman was able to stand up after Wilde stopped. She picked up a crescent wrench and told him to leave. However, Wilde overpowered her and began “striking her on [the] head and face.”
Prosecutors said the woman fell again, and Wilde continued to beat her.
“[She] believed he was trying to kill her and that she was going to die. She tried to remain motionless during the assaults … until she believed he thought she was dead,” court documents said.
The woman heard Wilde go into their kitchen and suspected he was washing blood off the wrench as well as himself before he left. Wilde took the woman’s phone, and she summoned help using Facebook Messenger.
Deputies observed deep lacerations to the woman’s face and blood covering her upper body when they arrived. Her right eye was also swollen shut. She was transported to a Salt Lake hospital, where medical staff discovered nasal, cheek and dental fractures.
A bag with a large amount of cash, clothes, charging cables, toiletries, medical devices and clothing Wilde was believed to be wearing during the attack was found on the kitchen table. He was not at the scene when law enforcement arrived, and his location was unknown until his arrest in Montana about 24 hours after the alleged assault.
Summit County investigators tracked Wilde using bank transaction information and license plate recognition technology. A tip led them to believe he traveled through Idaho toward Montana, where he was eventually arrested.