Woman Who Murdered Parents Asks to Skip 'Stressful' Sentencing, Gets 50 Years to Life

A Utah woman who shot and killed her parents has been sentenced to at least 50 years in prison after her request to skip the 'stressful' sentencing hearing was denied.

Mia Bailey, 30, was sentenced on December 19, 2025, for the murders that took place on June 18, 2024. According to authorities, Bailey broke into her family’s home in Washington City, fatally shooting her mother, Gail, four times and her father, Joseph, twice in the head. She also reportedly fired her weapon through a closed door at her brother before fleeing.

After her arrest the next day, a police affidavit stated Bailey admitted to breaking in “with the intent to kill her parents” and felt no remorse at the time. “I would do it again. I hate them,” she allegedly said.

However, leading up to her sentencing, Bailey’s tone shifted. Having changed her name and gender a year before the killings and converted to Islam while in custody, she voiced concerns that reliving the crimes could trigger a 'mental breakdown.' Her request to be absent was denied.

“It would be appropriate to take my life for atonement for what I did,” stated a letter read in court by her lawyer, Ryan Stout.

Stout argued Bailey's actions were the result of severe psychiatric dysfunction, not “calculated evil.” He told the court she had been diagnosed with a range of conditions, including ADHD, OCD, psychosis, and schizophrenia. “The most recent time she committed herself [to the hospital], she was discharged three days later, and 10 days later she murdered her parents,” Stout said.

The defense cited a “combination of her autism, schizophrenia, and the hormonal destabilization” from her transition as contributing factors, requesting a more lenient sentence.

The judge ultimately handed down two consecutive sentences of 25 years to life for the double homicide, plus up to five years for aggravated assault.

In a poignant turn, Bailey’s brothers, Corey and Dustin, expressed conflicting emotions at the hearing. They supported the consecutive sentences but argued against life without parole. “What’s best for us and what’s best for Mia is probably staying in prison for as long as possible,” Corey stated.

Dustin added that life without parole “is not justice,” and clarified, “We support LGBTQ rights fully. This has nothing to do with identity.” He suggested his sister’s crimes were partly linked to the effects of “powerful hormones” she was prescribed.

PRISM Insight: Mia Bailey's case highlights a troubling intersection of severe mental health crises and the complexities of gender transition, forcing a difficult conversation about culpability, treatment, and whether the justice system is equipped to handle such profoundly human tragedies.