Mall Shooting Widow Says Men|Defrauded Her of Insurance Money

SALT LAKE CITY (CN) - A widow whose husband was killed in the Trolley Square mall shootings says she was bilked of $250,000 she got from her husband's insurance settlement. She sued Jason K. Brown and Jerry Kershaw, both of South Jordan, Utah, and their business, West States Investments.

Vickie Lynn Walker's husband was killed by 18-year-old Suleiman Talovic on Feb. 12, 2007, and her son was severely wounded. Talovic killed five people and wounded four before police shot him dead.

Two months later, Walker received a life insurance settlement.

Shortly after that, she says, Jason K. Brown approached her at church and said he could double her money with a "guaranteed" investment. Walker says Brown and Jerry Kershaw persuaded her that the insurance money would not be enough to meet her family's needs.

She says they promised her 12 percent returns in 1 year if she invested $250,000 in their company, West States Investments, which they said was building storage units for U-Haul in Billings, Mont.

U-Haul is not a party to this complaint.

Brown says the two men told her that if she kept her money invested throughout their project, she could double her money. She says she never was given any documentation on the project or the status of her loan.

When she asked about it, she says, Brown became angry and told her she needed to secure a $1 million loan for him to be first in line to get her money back.

Then she says she found out that her money was gone. She says the men were not registered to sell securities, and that West States Investments was unregistered as well.

She demands damages for securities fraud, conversion and other charges. She is represented in Federal Court by Marc Turman with Callister, Nebeker & McCullough.

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