Inset left: Mia Bailey (Washington County Sheriff’s Office). Inset middle: Joseph Bailey (McArthur Funeral Home & Cremation Center). Inset right: Gail Bailey (McArthur Funeral Home & Cremation Center). Background: The home in Washington, Utah, where the shooting occurred (Google Maps/Law&Crime/YouTube).
A Utah woman accused of walking into her parents’ home, shooting them dead, and trying to kill her brother has entered a plea in the “chilling” case.
Mia Bailey, 29, has pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the double murder case, the Washington County Attorney’s Office announced. She was originally charged with ten felonies, including two counts of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, and aggravated burglary.
Washington County Attorney Jerry Jaeger, the lead prosecutor in the case, said his office was “pleased Mia Bailey pleaded guilty to these horrific murders.” A look back on the June 18, 2024, incident illustrates why the case garnered national attention.
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Joseph Bailey, 70, and Gail Bailey, 69, were at their home in Washington, Utah, that evening when somebody walked in. That somebody was Mia Bailey, and she aimed a gun at her mother, who was watching TV, and fired. As Law&Crime’s “Sidebar with Jessie Weber” previously reported, the suspect proceeded to the master bedroom, where she shot her father.
Both victims were shot multiple times in order to “make sure they were dead,” Mia Bailey later told authorities, per a criminal affidavit. “I would do it again. I hate them,” she added when interviewed, bragging about the circumstances of the case.
Mia Bailey’s brother and his wife were also home at the time of the shooting, and the brother reported being shot at, too. He ran to a neighbor’s home and managed to call for help, but by the time law enforcement officers arrived, the suspect was gone.
There was an important note authorities wanted to make as they searched for the suspect and warned local residents. Mia Bailey, previously known as Colin Bailey, was undergoing a gender transition, and she would wear wigs and could look different from the description they were giving.
In July 2023, Mia Bailey filed to legally change her name and gender. Five days later, her brother filed a protective order against his sister, local CBS affiliate KUTV reporter Brian Schnee told “Sidebar.” Mia Bailey’s application was granted; the protective order was not.
“We don’t know a lot of things about the exact reason why this took place, but it’s obviously that there’s family tension there,” Schnee said last year. “It’s clear intent to enter the home … immediately go to mom, sitting in front of the TV … but then to make that commitment to leave that area to look for other people. It is chilling.”
Mia Bailey remained on the loose that night, and authorities launched a search for her. She was spotted at one point but disappeared into the woods. At about 8 a.m. the following morning, a negotiator got the suspect to surrender, and she was arrested.
Prosecutors announced days after the shooting that they were not seeking the death penalty in the case. Mia Bailey is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 19.
According to a GoFundMe for Joseph Bailey and Gail Bailey, their son, his wife, and their young grandchildren were living with the couple at the time of the shooting. “These children haven’t just lost their home, but they’ve lost their family and have been ripped out of their lives and everything they know,” the fundraiser states.
