Utah woman pleads guilty to killing friend in suicide pact

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah (Court TV) — A Utah woman accused of killing her friend pleaded guilty Tuesday in a plea bargain.

Heavenly Faith Garfield, 21, was initially charged with murder and discharge of a firearm in the April 30th death of a 21-year-old female. In court, prosecutors said Garfield and the victim had a signed “suicide pact.”

Heavenly Garfield appears in court Tuesday, Sept. 24. 2024. (Court TV)

Garfield pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a second-degree felony. She’s facing up to 15 years in prison at her sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 6.

According to court documents, police responded to the home at approximately 3:26 p.m. after Garfield’s father called 911 to report his daughter had killed her friend. An affidavit states he told dispatchers the victim had been shot at 10:45 a.m. that same day.

Responding officers noted the victim “had an obvious gunshot wound to the head,” and her “body was covered with a blanket and there were flowers laid on the bed.”

During the investigation, authorities were provided text messages between a male friend and the victim, in which the victim stated “she intended to commit suicide with her friend.” Garfield and the victim had been allegedly planning to take their own lives for “multiple weeks.”