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Bone-chilling: Here Are the Most Ferocious Serial Killers in Utah

Utah is quite a small state with a small population compared to other states in the United States of America. However, it has quite a high number of serial killers who are from the state or have operated in the state which is quite surprising. Therefore, this article will look at some of the ferocious serial killers in Utah to give the reader knowledge of the impact these criminals had on the state. Furthermore, the article is a good source of foundational knowledge for someone that is exploring the true crime genre.

1 Gary Ridgeway

A mugshot of Gary Ridgeway. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gary Ridgeway also known as the Green River Killer is among the most notorious serial killers in the United States of America. The serial killer was born in Utah and he stayed there for some time before his family moved to Seattle when he was 11 years old. The serial killer was charged with 49 counts of murder but it is believed that his victim count is higher than that. Gary committed his murders in Washington and Oregon in a span of thirty years and he was finally arrested in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison.

2 Gary Gilmore

Gary Gilmore’s death gained more notoriety than his offences did. He was the first criminal put to death after the death penalty was reestablished in the US. At the Utah State Penitentiary, he chose to be executed by firing squad. Gilmore arrived in Provo in 1976 after spending more than 20 years behind bars in different Oregon prisons for offences ranging from driving under the influence to armed robbery. He killed two people in two different robberies four months after moving to Utah. For Gilmore, the legal procedure went quickly.  Just 11 weeks after the killings, he had a three-day trial. He was found guilty on October 7 and put to death on January 17, 1977. 

3 Ted Bundy

A mugshot of Ted Bundy. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ted Bundy is one of the most famous serial killers in the United States with so many podcasts, documentaries and articles explaining the crimes he committed and the psychological reason behind his actions. The serial killer was active in the 1970s where he killed young women in different states including Utah and would target young women as his victims. Bundy would act like he was injured and thus gain sympathy from women who rushed to help him and after they were in his car he would kidnap his victim and take them. A manhunt was launched and he was finally arrested and arraigned in court. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by an electric chair. Ted Bundy was executed in 1989.

4 Sulejman Talovic

Sulejman Talovic was an 18-year-old refugee from Bosnia. The teenager was responsible for five deaths after he shot people at the Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City in 2007. Sulejman shot nine people during his shooting spree but four of them survived. A police officer who was on the scene but off duty kept him engaged until reinforcements arrived. However, the police did not arrest him as the other suspects as he was armed and instead, they shot him and thus killed him.

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5 Arthur Gary Bishop

Arthur Gary was a notorious serial killer that was active in Utah during the 1980s. the killer who was a staunch member of the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints targeted young boys as his victims. Arthur used his position in the church to get boys to trust him and then proceed to abduct them and later murder them. He would use money and promise a job to get access to his victims. He was finally arrested in 1983 and sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of several counts of murder.

6 Dale Selby Pierre

Selby was an accomplice to another criminal known as William Andrews. The pair was responsible for a series of robberies and killings in Utah in the early 1970s. their crimes escalated when they descended at a Hi-Fi shop in Ogden Utah. At this location, Dale and William kidnapped and killed three employees as well as a customer who was at the shop. This gruesome crime scene that they left behind led to a manhunt being launched and the pair were finally apprehended and sentenced to death. Dale Selby was executed in 1987 while his partner died of natural causes while awaiting execution.

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7 Joseph Paul Franklin

The white supremacist killer was active in many states where he murdered victims based on their colour and it is believed that he killed a man in Utah in 1980. The serial killer’s motives for killing his victims were racially motivated and therefore this means that he did not have a specific victim but killed anyone that was black. Franklin was finally arrested and sentenced to death. He was executed in 2013.

8 Royal Russel Long

This serial killer was active in Utah during the 1980s and is responsible for the deaths of at least four women in that state. Royal Russel would kidnap his victims and then sexually assault them before finally killing them. His victims were mostly sex workers, and those who were poor as he could easily exploit their vulnerabilities. Furthermore, it was not easily noticed when these women disappeared. He was finally arrested in 1985 and was sentenced to death but he died in 1992 before he was executed.

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9 Keith Hunter Jesperson

A mugshot of the Happy Face Killer. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The “Happy Face Killer,” Keith Hunter Jesperson, operated in multiple states at the beginning of the 1990s, including Utah. After killing many women, Jesperson wrote mocking letters to the police that were signed with a smiley face. He preyed on weak women, frequently strangling them. His crimes were characterised by an unsettling mix of fury and haughtiness. Jesperson was eventually apprehended in 1995, which resulted in his conviction and life sentence.

10 Thomas Dee Huskey

In the 1970s, a serial killer by the name of Thomas Dee Huskey was reputed to have terrorised several states, including Utah. He had a reputation for being vicious and for specifically targeting and killing women. Before progressing to murder, Huskey’s criminal background comprised a number of offences, including robbery and assault. He was ultimately caught and given the death penalty in Tennessee for the 1982 slaying of a lady.

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