Utah’s Most Famous Murderers
Utah is known for its gorgeous mountain ranges, its aversion to alcohol, and its Mormons but that’s not all the state is known for, it has a dark past.
Utah is home to a lot of famous killers and cold cases that have captured the attention of the nation on several different accounts. To this day documentaries, podcasts, books, and any other sort of medium have been reanalyzing these cases. For whatever reason, the public is obsessed with killers.
The state has well-known killers who were famous for child molestation, forgery, being charismatic, and any other odd or cruel thing you can think of.
Utah just has a really bad history with a few bad apples but hey, it’s one of the state’s claims to fame.
Utah’s Most Famous Killers
Ted Bundy
Though Bundy is not a Utah native he made headlines in the 70s for kidnapping and killing girls in Provo, Salt Lake, and Bountiful. His weapon of choice was his charm which he used to lure unsuspecting victims to their death. He is thought to have committed over 30 murders across several states. He was caught and executed by electric chair in 1989.
Pierre Selby and William Andrews
Three murders took place at a Hi-Fi shop in Ogden when two U.S. Airmen took five hostages. The victims were forced to drink drain cleaner and then were shot in the head by their captors. Pierre Selby and William Andrews were arrested, however the two survivors sustained serious injuries that impacted their life.
Selby was executed by lethal injection in 1987 and Andrews faced the same end in 1992.
Sulejman Tulovic
Back in 2007 mass shootings were a less common occurrence in the U.S. so these killings were shocking and random. Tulovic murdered five mallgoers in Salt Lake City. He opened fire outside and inside with a total of nine victims. Four others were shot and survived. An off-duty officer had heard the shots and distracted Tulovic for just enough time to have officers arrive. Tulovic was shot and killed at the scene.
Arthur Gary Bishop
This killer is very Utah-centric. Bishop was raised in Utah as a Mormon and after his LDS mission, he joined the Big Brothers of Utah program as a volunteer. This gave Bishop ample opportunities to molest and kill young boys, which he did. Five boys were murdered by Bishop between 1979 and 1983. He was questioned by the police and confessed to the killings. Officers were led to the bodies by Bishop who died via lethal injection in 1988.
Serial Killer Ted Bundy Was Once in a Glenwood Springs Jail
Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde