Who Were Jessica Orton Lyman And Eli Painter? Saratoga Springs Utah Murder Case

Jessica Orton Lyman, 44, and her 8-year-old son, Eli Ronin Fox Painter, were shot inside their Saratoga Springs, Utah, home in March 2025. Eli died at the scene, while Lyman died in a hospital three days later. After a 17-month investigation, police arrested Lyman’s teenage son, who was 15 at the time of the killings. Prosecutors charged the juvenile in August 2026 with two counts of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice and announced their intention to seek transfer of the case to adult court. The charges remain allegations and have not been proven at trial.

Jessica Lyman And Eli Painter Shooting

The Shootings Allegedly Occurred Late On March 27, 2025. Charging documents say surveillance recordings from a neighboring residence captured voices consistent with Lyman, Eli and the teenage suspect arguing at approximately 11:30 p.m. Near midnight, investigators say a woman’s voice consistent with Lyman could be heard reacting to something happening inside the home. Less than two minutes later, the recording captured three gunshots. [KSL]

Lyman’s Daughter Discovered Her Mother And Brother The Following Morning. At approximately 10:15 a.m. on March 28, Lyman’s teenage daughter returned to the Willowbrook Lane home and found her mother and Eli suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in Lyman’s bedroom. She called 911. [Saratoga Springs Police]

Eli Painter Was Pronounced Dead At The Scene. Police and paramedics determined that the 8-year-old could not be revived. Charging documents later stated that Eli had been shot twice in the head. [KSL]

Jessica Lyman Was Found Critically Injured From A Gunshot Wound. Lyman was treated by paramedics and flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in extremely critical condition. Charging documents say she had been shot once in the head. [Saratoga Springs Police] [KSL]

Lyman Died On March 31, 2025. Lyman remained hospitalized for several days before dying from her injuries. Her family obituary records her death on March 31, three days after she and Eli were discovered. [Wing Mortuary]

Teen Son At The Crime Scene

Police Found Lyman’s Teenage Son Still Inside The Home. Investigators said Lyman’s then-15-year-old son was present when officers arrived on March 28. He told police that he had been sleeping and did not hear the gunshots. [KSL]

Prosecutors Say The Teen Also Claimed He Did Not Hear His Sister’s 911 Call Or Emergency Responders. Charging documents allege that the teenager said he slept through the shooting, his sister’s loud emergency call immediately outside his bedroom and the arrival of officers and paramedics. [KSL]

Investigators Noted The Teen Referred To “Guns” Before Police Had Told Him A Gun Was Involved. Earlier search-warrant records said an officer asked whether there were any “weapons” in the residence and the boy replied that he was unaware of any “guns.” Investigators noted that emergency personnel had not yet told him that the victims had suffered gunshot wounds. [KSL]

The Teen Later Acknowledged Arguing With His Mother That Night. Prosecutors say he admitted during a police interview that he and Lyman had argued on the evening authorities believe the shootings occurred. [KSL]

Surveillance Video Evidence

Neighborhood Cameras Recorded A Masked Person Several Hours After The Shootings. Charging documents say multiple surveillance cameras recorded a masked figure walking through the neighborhood between approximately 2:34 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. on March 28. [KSL]

Prosecutors Say The Masked Figure Was Consistent With The Teen’s Height And Build. Investigators allege the person seen on the recordings had a physical build matching the juvenile and wore a mask and clothing consistent with items associated with him. [KSL]

Earlier Warrants Said The Masked Person Appeared To Avoid Doorbell Cameras. Search-warrant records described the person as wearing a black-and-white mask, dark hoodie, shorts and long black socks while apparently attempting to avoid motion-activated surveillance cameras. [KSL]

Police Investigated Whether The Murder Weapon Was Discarded Near The Jordan River. Prosecutors say the masked person’s route and gaps in the surveillance footage created several opportunities to dispose of a weapon, including near the Jordan River, which is within walking distance of the home. [KSL]

FBI And Police Dive Teams Searched The Jordan River. In November 2025, FBI and Saratoga Springs Police Department dive teams searched the river and surrounding banks for evidence. Authorities did not publicly announce that the murder weapon had been recovered. [KSL]

Forensic Evidence

Gunshot Residue Was Found On Clothing Belonging To The Teen. Laboratory testing detected gunshot residue on multiple pieces of clothing associated with the juvenile, including clothes investigators say he was wearing when police encountered him on the morning the victims were discovered. [KSL]

Investigators Said They Could Not Identify An Innocent Explanation For The Gunshot Residue. A search-warrant affidavit stated that police had not found ammunition or a conventional firearm inside the residence and did not know why gunshot residue would have been present on the teen’s clothing. [KSL]

Prosecutors Say The Teen’s DNA Was Found Under A Victim’s Fingernails. The 2026 charging documents allege that forensic testing found the juvenile’s DNA beneath the fingernails of one of the victims. Prosecutors also noted that he had scratches on his right shoulder. [KSL]

The Teen’s DNA Was Also Allegedly Found On Lyman’s Clothing. Prosecutors say his DNA was detected on the waistband of the shorts Lyman was wearing when she was shot. [KSL]

Evidence Found In Teen’s Bedroom

Police Found Notes About Forensic Evidence In The Teen’s Room. Search-warrant records say investigators discovered handwritten material referring to subjects including serology, DNA and firearm testing. [KSL]

Another Handwritten Note Said “This Is A Murder Story.” Investigators reported recovering a separate handwritten note containing that phrase during their search of the teenager’s room. The meaning and context of the note were not established merely by its discovery. [KSL]

Police Also Found Two BB Guns And Tactical-Style Equipment. Warrants described two BB pistols, plate carriers and magazine pouches among items recovered from the bedroom. Police have said those BB guns were not the firearm used to kill Lyman and Eli. [KSL]

Digital Evidence Investigation

Police Examined The Teen’s Extensive Use Of Messaging Apps. Investigators obtained warrants for his electronic devices and accounts after determining that he spent significant amounts of time communicating through platforms including Discord, Snapchat and Telegram. [KSL]

Investigators Found A Telegram Conversation Involving A “Dirty Gun” For Sale. According to a search warrant, police found a Telegram group or channel on the teenager’s phone in which another person offered what was described as a “dirty gun.” Authorities said the available phone data did not provide further details about that weapon. [KSL]

Police Reviewed The Teen’s Online Discussions About The Killings. Warrants said investigators examined conversations in which the teenager discussed the homicide case with online friends, including comments about information that had appeared publicly about the investigation. [KSL]

17-Month Murder Investigation

The Case Remained Unsolved Publicly For More Than A Year. For months after the killings, Saratoga Springs police declined to identify a suspect while search warrants gradually revealed portions of the evidence investigators were examining. [FOX 13]

Detectives Executed Dozens Of Search Warrants. Police Chief Andrew Burton said investigators executed dozens of warrants, collected hundreds of pieces of evidence, conducted numerous interviews and reviewed extensive amounts of video, records and other information. [Daily Herald]

Forensic Testing Contributed To The Length Of The Investigation. Police said numerous items had to be submitted to forensic laboratories and that some examinations took substantial time before detectives could determine what investigative steps to take next. [Daily Herald]

Police Say The Accumulated Evidence Eventually Established Probable Cause For An Arrest. Burton said additional forensic results, combined with the totality of the evidence collected during the 17-month investigation, ultimately put detectives in a position to identify a suspect and make an arrest. [KSL]

Teen Arrested For Jessica Lyman And Eli Painter Murders

Police Arrested Lyman’s Teenage Son On August 14, 2026. Saratoga Springs police took the juvenile into custody and booked him into juvenile detention in connection with the killings of his mother and half-brother. Authorities have not publicly released his identity because he is a minor. [KSL]

The Suspect Was 15 At The Time Of The Killings. Current charging documents identify the accused as a juvenile who was 15 when Lyman and Eli were shot in March 2025. [KSL]

Police Initially Screened Two First-Degree Murder Counts With Prosecutors. At the time of the arrest, Saratoga Springs detectives submitted the case to the Utah County Attorney’s Office for consideration of two first-degree murder charges. [FOX 13]

Aggravated Murder Charges

Prosecutors Charged The Teen With Two Counts Of Aggravated Murder. On August 21, 2026, prosecutors filed two first-degree felony aggravated-murder charges in Utah’s 4th District Juvenile Court, one for Lyman’s death and one for Eli’s. [KSL]

The Teen Was Also Charged With Obstruction Of Justice. Prosecutors added a second-degree felony obstruction charge based on their allegations concerning events surrounding the killings and subsequent investigation. [KSL]

Prosecutors Intend To Seek An Adult Prosecution. The charging documents explicitly state that the prosecution intends to seek to have the juvenile bound over from juvenile court to adult district court. A judge has not yet made a final determination granting that request. [KSL]

An Adult Aggravated-Murder Conviction Could Carry Decades In Prison. KSL reported that if transferred to adult court and ultimately convicted of aggravated murder, the teenager could face a mandatory prison sentence of at least 25 years and potentially life. His guilt or innocence has not yet been determined. [KSL]

Family Response To Arrest

Lyman And Eli’s Families Called The Arrest An Important Step Toward Justice. Following the August 2026 arrest, the Orton and Painter families thanked Saratoga Springs police and other agencies for continuing the lengthy investigation. [KSL]

The Orton Family Said It Still Has Questions About What Happened. Family members said they hoped the criminal proceedings would provide answers while they continued relying on family, faith and community support following the deaths. [FOX 13]

The Families Said They Want The Person Responsible Fully Accountable. Relatives said they expect the legal process to establish the truth and emphasized that the arrest could not undo their loss. [KSL]

Jessica Orton Lyman Background

Lyman Was A 44-Year-Old Mother Of Three. Born March 26, 1981, in Provo, Utah, Lyman was remembered by her family as a devoted mother who was deeply involved in the lives and interests of her children. [Wing Mortuary]

Lyman Died Three Days After The Shooting. She died on March 31, 2025, surrounded by family after doctors treated the catastrophic injuries she suffered in the attack. [Wing Mortuary]

Eli Painter Background

Eli Ronin Fox Painter Was Eight Years Old. Eli was born on February 14, 2017, and was a second-grade student at Riverview Elementary School in Saratoga Springs. [Wing Mortuary]

Eli Was Remembered As An Energetic Child Who Loved Math And Building Things. His obituary described him as curious and creative, with interests that included mathematics, puzzles, LEGO projects and video games. [Wing Mortuary]

Current Court Status

The Teen Has Not Been Convicted Of Killing Lyman And Eli. As of August 24, 2026, the case is at the charging stage. The juvenile faces two aggravated-murder counts and an obstruction charge while prosecutors seek permission to move the prosecution into adult district court. [KSL]

Police Say The Investigation Is Continuing Despite The Arrest. Saratoga Springs police have said detectives are continuing follow-up interviews and reviewing additional evidence even after establishing probable cause for the juvenile’s arrest. [Daily Herald]