Utah pediatrician convicted of murdering ex-wife charged with sexually abusing child patient

The pediatrician convicted of murdering his wife more than a decade ago has been charged with sexually abusing a child patient at his practice just weeks before the murder.

Content warning: This article contains information about child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised. Report child sexual abuse to local law enforcement and contact the DCFS 24/7 hotline: 855-323-3237. For more information, visit dcfs.utah.gov.

MURRAY, Utah (ABC4) — The pediatrician convicted of murdering his wife more than a decade ago has been charged with sexually abusing a child patient at his practice just weeks before the murder.

Johnny Brickman Wall, 62, has been charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.

These charges stem from a victim who came forward to the Murray Police Department. The victim reported that in 2011 and 2012, when she was between seven and eight years old, Wall was her pediatrician.

The victim reported that during a September 2011 appointment, Wall had her “unzip her pants” so he could examine his stomach for an examination. While feeling her abdomen, he allegedly sexually abused her.

During another visit in February 2012, Wall asked to perform the same examination. He again sexually abused her and also exposed himself to her, documents allege. Medical records corroborated the two appointment dates, one on Sept. 12, 2011, and another on Feb. 15, 2012.

“We hope that these charges help the victim-survivor understand that her community is here to support her, and as an office, we are committed to fighting for the justice she deserves. Our Survivor and Victim Services Division will work to connect her to the resources that can help her start down a path of healing,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is quoted as saying. “We thank the Murray Police Department for their thorough investigation that helped lead to the filing of these charges.”

Utah Court of Appeals upholds doctor’s conviction of killing ex-wife

Murder conviction

John Wall, Johnny Wall_-4696888656125933300 — Johnny Brickman Wall at a 2019 Utah Court of Appeals hearing.

Currently, Wall is in the Utah State Prison, as a jury convicted him of murder in 2015 and a judge sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison. The Utah Court of Appeals upheld that conviction in 2019.

49-year-old Uta Von Schwedler, a University of Utah researcher, was found dead in the bathtub of her Sugar House home on Sept. 26, 2011. The medical examiner concluded that she had drowned in the tub and had a large amount of xanax in her system.

Family members did not believe that her death was a suicide, and investigators determined that Wall was the most likely suspect in her death.

Wall is believed to have injected Von Schwedler, his ex-wife, with xanax and drowned her in the tub to stage a suicide. Prosecutors said that he was upset about an ongoing custody dispute at the time of her murder.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Source: Utah News