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Utah student died from blunt force trauma; suspect formally charged

By Daniel Uria

July 10 (UPI) -- Court documents released Wednesday revealed the cause of death of University of Utah Student Mackenzie Lueck.

The charging documents against suspect Ayoola Adisa Ajayi state that Lueck, 23, was killed by blunt force trauma to her head that caused internal bleeding. Prosecutors also said that Ajayi poured gasoline on Lueck's body and burned her after she was killed.

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"Mackenzie's arms were bound behind her back by a zip tie and rope. A 5-centimeter hole was located on the left side of her skull with part of her left scalp missing," the documents stated.

An autopsy by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office determined she died from blunt force trauma to the left side of her skull that resulted in "significant intracranial hemorrhaging which would have been fatal."

Ajayi, 31, was formally charged on Wednesday with aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping as welll as desecration of a human body and obstruction of justice.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Utah law permits a charge of aggravated murder to be filed without proof that the killing was a premeditated action.

Gill also said no sentencing deals were made with Ajayi in exchange for information about the case.

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Lueck was last seen on June 17 when she arrived at the Salt Lake City International Airport from California at around 2 a.m. and took a Lyft to Hatch Park, where she met a man and entered his vehicle.

Police found tissue that matched Lueck's DNA in the back yard of a home in Salt Lake City as well as burnt items that may have belonged to her.

Cellphone records showed that Ajayi was the last person Lueck communicated with before her disappearance and he was arrested on June 28.

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