FORT DUCHESNE, Utah (ABC4) — A Uintah County man is facing federal charges for allegedly beating his mother “so severely” that she passed away from her injuries, all because she would not let him use her car.
Philip Bernard Weston (also known as Philip Bernard Mahpiya-Wicasta), 52, has been charged with murder in the second degree while within Indian Country, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Utah (USAO).
On July 13, 2025, law enforcement responded to the victim’s house due to an emergency alert. The victim was hearing impaired and used social media to contact an out-of-state relative with a request for help. An officer knocked on the door, and Weston answered, saying that the victim was inside and was fine.
Through the door, the officer could allegedly see the victim lying on the ground with “a large amount of blood around her.” The officer took Weston into custody, and law enforcement entered the residence, where they found blood throughout the home and a tablet in front of the victim.
The victim was transported to the hospital in Roosevelt and was able to tell law enforcement and medical staff what happened through an American Sign Language interpreter. Law enforcement says that the victim told Weston he could not use her car, and he beat her with his bare hands inside her house, causing the severe injuries.
Due to the extent of her injuries, the victim was transported to a trauma center in Salt Lake City, but ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
According to the press release, she suffered multiple broken ribs, broken clavicles, a severe chest injury, multiple head injuries, a collapsed lung, fracture of the sternum and vertebrae, and many other lacerations and broken bones.
Weston has an initial appearance scheduled for Aug. 20, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the federal courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Vernal Resident Agency.
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