The Justice Files: Fetus killer wants release from prison

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Utah) – Calvin Myers never wanted the baby.

In 1994, his girlfriend, Irene Christensen disclosed that she was pregnant.

“She told me that she and her friend had gotten pregnant on the same day,” Myers said during his recent parole hearing. “They were both having twins.”

From that point on Myers and Christensen never got along. They separated and he claimed she broke into his apartment. She allegedly called him a “hillbilly” and a “hick” according to police reports.

In December 1994 Christensen disappeared. According to court testimony, Steven Paul Howard went with Myers and Christensen to the Rockport Reservoir in Summit County. 

It was there that Myers stabbed Christensen.  Howard later testified he heard a “punching” sound which turned out to be a knife and heard the woman yell “please don’t kill me. I love you.”

Howard claimed Myers told him it had to be done.

“He was pretty freaked out about the whole thing,” said Myers. “I don’t think he really expected that.”

Myers has been in and out of prison since pleading guilty in 1996 to Christensen’s murder.

But at the time, Myers was the first in Utah to be charged with the murder of an unborn child.

“I think the worst part of my crime was … she died afraid and alone,” Myers said. “And that my son never had a chance. He was never born. He never had a chance to live.” 

Myers was facing the death penalty. But in a 1996 plea bargain, the fetus murder charged was dropped. Then Summit County attorney Robert Adkins told reporters that he was concerned about “the uncertainty of taking such an unusual case to trial.”

Twenty-four years later, Myers is still in prison for the murder of Christensen. He told the parole hearing officer that he is no longer that 21-year old who committed the crime. Myers said prison life reformed him and now understands the hurt he’s caused.

“That was devastating to see, to see the pain that  caused them,” Myers said.

But he also claimed to understand there were other victims that he harmed as well. One of those was Howard and his family.

“I put them through a lot of pf pain, a lot of anguish,” he said. “They (family) were actually horrified with what I chose to do.”

In the end, Myers never challenged the 1991 fetus murder law.  He attempted an appeal but withdrew his claim.

In 2004, in an unrelated crime, the Utah Supreme Court ruled it to be constitutional.

As for Myers, the Utah Board of Pardons is reviewing his case for possible parole.