Utah County, Utah

Brandon Beckham, 50, a former Republican candidate for Utah's District 23 Senate seat, has been sentenced to 364 days in jail, with credit for four days served, after being convicted of forcible sexual abuse. A potential one-to-15-year prison term for the second-degree felony was suspended, and Beckham will serve 48 months of probation.

Beckham was initially charged in March 2022 with three counts of forcible sexual abuse stemming from a June 2021 incident involving a social acquaintance. Prosecutors said he pinned the victim to the ground and forcibly undressed her while she repeatedly told him to stop. The case went through two mistrials, in January and later that year, before a third trial in August ended with a jury finding him guilty on one count and not guilty on two others. The sentencing closes out a prolonged legal process that unfolded alongside, and after, his unsuccessful 2022 state senate campaign.

Tennessee officials attempted to execute inmate Pike with pentobarbital, but she survived two doses and was hospitalized in critical condition; her attorneys described at least seven needle attempts, purple and blistered skin, burns and sharp pain at the injection site, calling it torture. Gov. Bill Lee called the outcome "deeply disturbing," suspended a December execution and ordered an independent review. Republican leaders including Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Speaker Cameron Sexton are weighing alternative methods, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the GOP nominee for governor, called for restoring the electric chair, backed by House Majority Leader William Lamberth. Democrats want legislative oversight before executions resume.

The case has renewed scrutiny nationally. In Utah, where lethal injection is the primary method and state law mandates a fallback to firing squads if the drugs become unavailable or unconstitutional, advocates are now calling for a moratorium, citing Pike's case alongside the recent release of death row inmate Douglas Carter amid new DNA evidence. The Death Penalty Information Center estimates about 7% of lethal injections have been botched historically. Ohio, meanwhile, hasn't executed anyone since 2018 due to drug shortages, with Gov. Mike DeWine not expecting one during his remaining term.

The Justice Department has charged a Utah postal worker with discarding more than 300 mail-in ballots ahead of the state's June primary. Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16 on charges of unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail; the indictment was unsealed and Seei was arrested and arraigned in federal court in Salt Lake City, pleading not guilty. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30. Officials said Seei, a letter carrier in Eagle Mountain, dumped the ballots along with other mail into a dumpster at a church parking lot shortly after starting his shift on June 3, and never delivered them. Prosecutors said Seei admitted he threw away the mail to "lighten his workload," and officials declined to say whether the conduct was politically motivated.

The case comes amid heightened national scrutiny of mail-in voting security ahead of the 2026 midterms. Most Utah voters cast ballots by mail, and nearly a third of voters nationwide use the method. The DOJ says it is expanding election-monitoring efforts and pursuing thousands of election-related investigations nationwide.

A federal grand jury in Utah has indicted 34-year-old Damon Seei, a Payson postal worker, for allegedly discarding more than 300 mail-in ballots ahead of Utah's June primary election. Prosecutors say Seei dumped the ballots, clearly marked as such, into a dumpster in a church parking lot on June 3, along with other mail. U.S. Marshals arrested Seei, who faces charges of unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail. The case emerged after Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson fielded complaints from voters who never received ballots and found unusually low turnout in the affected area.

The indictment comes amid a broader Department of Justice push on election integrity, including scrutiny of Utah's voter rolls and a separate federal investigation into the state's compliance with voter data requests. DOJ officials say they have also charged dozens of noncitizens nationwide with unlawful voting offenses in recent weeks, as litigation over 2026 mail-in ballot rules continues.