FARMINGTON — A defense attorney who helped a man avoid a death sentence for murdering a South Ogden woman, Joyce Yost, in 1985, is off the case.

Attorney Collen Coebergh officially withdrew as defense counsel for Douglas Anderson Lovell during a hearing in Utah’s 2nd District Court on Monday, telling a judge that Lovell now refuses to speak with her.

“I have not spoken to Mr. Lovell since August 27, and that’s despite my urging that he communicate with me,” Coebergh said. “I think there has been a complete breakdown of communication.”

The rift represents a major shift, and another significant delay, in a case that’s already dragged on for more than 40 years. It means a sentencing hearing planned for next March, at which Lovell could potentially receive a death sentence for a third time,

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