OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Sefu Toilolo says he’s glad his daughter’s killer has pleaded guilty, but now her family “is hoping for the max” when the Pleasant View man is sentenced.
“It hurts so much for us, what he did to my daughter,” Toilolo told the Standard-Examiner. “All she did was love him and take care of his kids. He had to take it upon himself to act like God and take her life.”
Andy Dennis, 37, pleaded guilty in 2nd District Court in a plea bargain filed in court. He admitted to a charge of first-degree murder in the May 10, 2020, strangling of Lopine “Chynna” Toilolo.
In return for the guilty plea, Weber County prosecutors dropped two counts of second-degree felony obstruction of justice and a third-degree felony count of abuse or desecration of a body. Also, Layton City prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor domestic violence assault charge from an incident in 2019, in which Lopine Toilolo also was the victim.
Prosecutors said Dennis may have been motivated to kill Toilolo, 33, because the Layton case was pending and he feared she would testify against him.
“It’s been a long, long journey for me and my family,” Sefu Toilolo said. “Knowing he’s guilty gives us some comfort but it’s still not going to bring my daughter back.”
Some people told Toilolo he was over-protective, but she was his only daughter. “She was my princess. I spoiled her,” he said.
The parents moved to Lehi after their daughter’s death. The woman was living with her parents in West Jordan before that.
He said he and his wife last saw their daughter the evening of Saturday, May 9. “The next day was Mother’s Day and she said she would be right back.”
Police said Dennis drove Lopine Toilolo to his home in Pleasant View. After an argument outside witnessed by neighbors, they left in his car in the early morning hours.
Lopine’s body was found two days later, dumped near the river in Ogden Canyon. An autopsy said her body had drag marks and evidence of strangulation.
“This time I was not there for her,” Sefu Toilolo said. “She was crying out.”
Now, they want justice, he said. At a hearing Sept. 3 in Ogden before 2nd District Judge Joseph Bean, Dennis will be subject to an indeterminate sentence of 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison. His length of prison stay beyond the 15 years will be decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
Efforts to reach Grant Morrison, Dennis’ public defender, were not immediately successful. During pretrial proceedings earlier this year, Morrison secured court approval for limited phone contact between Dennis and his two children.
Chase Hansen, one of the deputy Weber County attorneys who prosecuted the case, said Friday a guilty plea in a murder case “is always a good resolution.”
“This is just a big relief for the family, not having to live through that experience again in a trial,” Hansen said. “We had a good case and we were confident and ready to go.”
Hansen said prosecutors plan to meet with the family members next week to go over what to expect at the sentencing hearing.
“They’re a good family,” he said. “I really feel for them.”
Sefu Toilolo said the family is grateful for the work of police and prosecutors and the prayers, love and support the family has received, even from around the world. He also praised “the Polynesian community — they stepped up and made sure we are OK and they’ve been there the whole time.”
