Douglas Lovell (1958 – ) was a Mormon church member in Clearfield, Utah; accused of sexual abuse of a woman he murdered, Joyce Yost; Lovell claimed the LDS church meddled in his 2015 trial by discouraging a former prison bishop from testifying in his defense.

FLOODLIT is working on an update to Doug Lovell’s case report.

Quotes from sources below:

“Douglas Lovell had murdered Joyce Yost to prevent her from testifying against him in a 1985 sexual assault case.”

“Lovell claims The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meddled in his 2015 trial.”

“A former Latter-day Saint bishop who worked in the prison, John “Jack” Newton, said at the 2019 hearing that church leadership suggested it would be preferable if he did not testify on behalf of Lovell at the 2015 trial.”

“It was Kirton McConkie (church’s law firm) doing their job representing ecclesiastical leaders for the church, former bishops,” attorney Mark Field, an appellate lawyer in the Utah Attorney General’s Office representing the state, told the Deseret News. “There was nothing strange about any of that.”

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Sources

  1. source 1, , January 12, 2026.
  2. source 2, , January 12, 2026.
  3. source 3, , January 12, 2026.

Documents

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Timeline

  • 1958
    Born

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