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Arizona man pleads guilty to killing Utah youth rehab worker

Posted at 1:49 PM, Jul 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-20 16:49:50-04

An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to killing a staffer at a southern Utah youth-rehabilitation facility.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports 18-year-old Clay Brewer of Snowflake, Arizona admitted Thursday that he beat 61-year-old Jimmy Woolsey to death with a piece of metal in 2016.

Brewer was 17 years old at the time and was staying at the ranch near Escalante.

Prosecutors say the teenager attacked Woosley around a campfire and then beat another staffer's hand and head while she tried to keep him out of a cabin where other campers were hiding.

Brewer told police in an interview that he was suffering from drug withdrawals and started "freaking out."

Brewer's attorney Ron Yengich said in a statement that his client apologized to the victims and the community and discussed the dangers of opioid abuse in America.