A Sandy man pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree aggravated attempted murder for nearly beating his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter to death, admitting he punched and threw the toddler out of frustration over potty training. Tyrel Scott Belone's plea deal dismisses separate charges of aggravated child abuse and child torture, and he is expected to be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
According to KUTV, Belone and his girlfriend, Amber Lee Leary, were arrested after Leary reported that her daughter had been injured and was unresponsive. The child was ultimately treated for a brain bleed and skull fracture, police said, and was found with severe bruising and her eyes swollen shut. KSL.com reported that emergency responders responded on June 28 to an unresponsive girl at a basement apartment in Sandy; she was flown by medical helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City and placed in a medically induced coma in critical condition.
Leary told police that Belone threw the child onto a mattress, causing her to bounce and hit her head on a wall, per court documents cited by the station. She said Belone would not let her call 911, so she snuck outside to make the call herself. Belone, for his part, admitted to police that he was frustrated with potty training and struck and punched the child, and said Leary was present during the assault, according to documents.
Text Messages Point to Premeditation
Prosecutors say the violence wasn't a single lapse. Belone texted Leary “I am going to murder her,” per the station's report, and charging documents quote him as previously writing “We can't have a life together with her.” During his police interrogation after the June arrest, Belone admitted to striking the child with a closed fist multiple times; Leary said he had thrown her onto a mattress.
Charging documents released by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office also describe how Belone called his mother, a nurse practitioner, after the assault, and Leary initiated a FaceTime call while Belone was out of the room so his mother could see the unresponsive toddler and demand she be taken to the hospital. Belone had allegedly refused to let Leary call 911 and claimed the child would be fine.
Mother's Case Still Pending
Leary, who has not entered a plea, kept her daughter inside their home for several days before June 28 to hide visible facial bruising and failed to seek medical care despite witnessing ongoing abuse, according to the district attorney's filings. She and Belone were both initially charged with aggravated attempted murder, aggravated child abuse and child torture, and Leary continues to face that identical first-degree felony exposure.
Both defendants worked in caretaking professions. Belone worked as a nurse, and Leary worked as a certified nursing assistant who had previously held a job as a corrections employee, according to Infobae. Court documents revealed that the two met while working at a New Hampshire hospital before relocating to Utah in May 2025 with Leary's daughter, where the toddler's regression in potty training triggered violent outbursts from Belone, the outlet reported.
A Test of Utah's New Child Torture Law
The original charges against Belone and Leary were among the earliest applications of Utah's standalone child torture statute, which took effect May 7, 2025, after lawmakers created it as a distinct first-degree felony for exceptionally cruel or depraved conduct causing extreme pain or anguish, or conduct over a prolonged period, with a 10-year minimum in most cases, according to the Daily Herald. The law followed legislative action inspired by high-profile abuse cases, including that of YouTube influencer Ruby Franke.
KUTV reported that Belone will likely receive 15 years to life under his plea deal. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill urged struggling parents facing frustration or distress to seek community or professional support rather than resorting to violence, in a statement on the case reported by the station.
