Man pleads not guilty in triple murder

A man pleaded not guilty Tuesday in connection with the deaths of three people in Oneida County.

Severo Luera Jr. is facing a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, as well as three counts of aiding and abetting murder in the first degree.

In a home near Holbrook in April 2013, deputies found three people who had been shot and killed: Brent Christensen, Trent Jon Christensen and Yvette Chivon Carter. Two children were left to fend for themselves: a 2-month-old, discovered under her mother’s arms, and a 2-year-old sitting on the front step.

The children had been alone for nearly 24 hours.

Oneida County Sheriff Jeff Semrad said he believes the murders were gang related.

There was a marijuana grow operation on the property, and dozens of starving pit bulls used for fighting.

Semrad said it’s been a tough two years to get this far in the investigation.

“We have worked extremely hard,” he said. “We have a team put together from my office. Blackfoot, Bingham and Bannock county sheriff’s office, and I would venture a guess that we’re well over 10,000 hours of work on this case. Most of our investigation is centered in Utah, so there’s a lot of travel involved as well and those agencies down there have been outstanding to help us as well. They’re a part of our team.”

Security was extremely tight in the Bannock County Courthouse. Authorities said the extra security was to protect Luera’s life.

The next time Luera will be in court will be July 17, which is when the prosecution will announce whether it will seek the death penalty.