ST. GEORGE, Utah — It was expected to be a status hearing for Mia Bailey at the Fifth District Courthouse in St. George. But it turned out to be the moment she confessed to killing her parents and trying to kill her brother more than a year ago.
Mia Bailey, the woman accused of killing her parents inside their Washington City home in June 2024, pleaded guilty after her defense reached a plea deal on Thursday.
In the plea agreement, Bailey admitted to intentionally shooting and killing her parents, Joseph and Gail Bailey, on June 18, 2024, at their Washington City home.
As part of the agreement, Bailey pleaded guilty to two counts of Aggravated Murder and one count of Aggravated Assault, as well as being mentally ill.
Following the shooting, Bailey had been charged with 11 felony counts for the June 18, 2024 incident in which she went to her parents' home and shot Joseph and Gail Bailey. Bailey's brother and his wife were also targeted, but were able to escape the home.
Bailey was the subject of an extended manhunt before being arrested in a St. George field the day after the shooting. As she was being taken into custody, Bailey said she had no remorse for killing her parents, adding, "I would do it again. I hate them."
Bailey's plea of being declared mentally ill at the time of the crime is a step below an insanity plea, but it can still affect sentencing.
A sentencing hearing for Bailey has been scheduled for Dec. 19. She faces 25 years to life without parole on each of the murder counts and zero to five years for the assault. The Washington County Attorney's Office had previously said it would not seek the death penalty in the case.
Jerry Jaeger, who was the lead prosecutor on the case before becoming Washington County Attorney this summer, provided a statement about the plea.
"We are pleased Mia Bailey pled guilty for these horrific murders," Jaeger said. "We look forward to the sentencing hearing."
In previous hearings, Bailey had attempted to have her attorney fired and requested that prosecutors recommend the death penalty rather than a maximum prison sentence. However, the plea agreement states that the death penalty is not being sought.
