In a notice filed in Provo’s Fourth District Court Friday, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said the state intends to seek the death penalty for both counts of aggravated murder against Matthew Jacob Leonard.

“The decision to seek the death penalty is supported by substantial evidence, is made in the interest of justice, and has come after consultation with the victims’ families,” Gray said in the notice.

Authorities say Leonard, 28, shot and killed his mother, Sarah Johnson, of Springville, and John Handricks, of Salt Lake City, in Springville on March 20. Leonard was also charged with five counts of felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice and two counts of abuse or desecration of a dead human body. The bodies had not been located as of the April court filings.

According to a probable cause statement, Springville police received a missing person report for Johnson on March 26, indicating she had not been contacted since March 19.

On April 6, police received a call from a family member claiming Johnson had been shot and that her body had not been located, court documents said.

On April 8, police found witnesses who were with Leonard, Johnson and Handricks in the garage at Leonard’s residence on the night of March 19 and early the morning of March 20, court documents said.

Witnesses saw Johnson and Handricks go inside the residence to sleep, and Leonard followed sometime later, according to court documents. Witnesses attempted to contact Leonard for a ride home, but he did not answer his phone, so they went to the front door to knock, the probable cause statement said.

“As they were approaching the front door, one of the witnesses indicated that he heard five gunshots,” court documents said. “The other witness recalls loud bangs. Not long after they heard the gunshots, the defendant came out of the residence and briefly spoke with the witnesses. Both witnesses say they were afraid and left the area on foot as quickly as possible.”

Leonard was arrested April 11. He confirmed Johnson and Handricks were at his home and that he owned a .22-caliber firearm that was in his home on March 20, court documents said.

Detectives located large pools of blood and evidence of attempts to clean up blood within the house, according to the probable cause statement, as well as holes in the drywall “consistent with a .22 bullet being lodged” in it.

On April 15, authorities also found a smashed cellphone and remnants of a mattress that were burned in a bonfire at the home, and forensic testing found evidence of human blood in Leonard’s vehicle, court documents said.