A Utah man has pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder after a brutal attack on his girlfriend's three-year-old daughter, Clover. Tyrel Belone, 29, of Sandy, admitted to assaulting the toddler on June 28, 2025, hours after texting the child's mother that he intended to kill her.
Belone attacked Clover after becoming frustrated with her difficulty in potty training. According to court documents, he threw the child onto a mattress, causing her head to strike the wall. He later told investigators that the child was breathing and had a steady heart rate, but she was unresponsive when he checked on her. Belone contacted the child's mother, Amber Leary, who was en route to work, and his own mother, who authorities believe alerted emergency services.
Earlier in the week leading up to the attack, Belone sent Leary disturbing text messages expressing his intent to harm Clover. On June 22, 2025, he texted, "I am going to murder her." Later messages included threats such as "I am going to crack her skull" and "I'm finished with her, we can't have a life together with her being like this, and now hearing her voice makes me want to kill her."
When Leary returned home, she found her daughter covered in bruises with severely swollen eyes and a significant bruise on the right side of her head. Belone attributed the injuries to Clover having "s**ting and pissing everywhere" throughout the day. Days prior, Leary had also noted a triangle-shaped bruise on Clover's head, which Belone claimed was from hitting the child with an ice pack.
Phone records revealed Belone had also threatened to leave Leary if she did not find Clover a new home, citing the child's behavior and alleged actions, such as biting him and defecating on the floor. He admitted to striking the child and spanking her, and claimed she would bite him while he attempted to clean up messes.
Clover was life-flighted to a hospital and placed in a medically induced coma due to her critical injuries, including a complex skull fracture and hemorrhaging. Doctors determined she would have died if she had not received immediate medical attention. As part of a plea deal, charges of aggravated child abuse and child torture against Belone were dismissed. He is scheduled for sentencing on December 2 and is expected to receive a prison sentence of 15 years to life.
Amber Leary also faces charges including attempted aggravated murder, aggravated child abuse, and child torture. Her pre-trial conference is scheduled for October 5.