Capitol Reef National Park area trail linked to killings of three Utah women, prosecutors say
Two women found dead on a trail near capitol reef national park were among three victims slain this week, authorities say, and an Iowa man has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder.
Capitol Reef National Park area became a crime scene
The bodies of Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, were discovered at a trailhead near Capitol Reef National Park, while a third victim, Margaret Oldroyd, 86, was found dead at her home in Lyman, Utah, law enforcement updates show; the husbands of Dewey and Graves reported finding the trail victims at 4: 25 p. m. ET on Wednesday.
Charging documents filed in Sixth District Court say the three deaths occurred at two locations in south-central Utah near capitol reef national park, and that the victims did not appear to have prior connections to the man later arrested.
Alleged confession outlines sequence of killings
Ivan Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa, is accused in charging documents of killing Oldroyd at her home in Lyman and taking her Buick, then driving to a nearby trail where he encountered Dewey and Graves, the documents state. The filings say Miller told investigators he shot the women with a. 45-caliber handgun and stabbed one of them multiple times when she continued to move.
The documents further allege Miller said he had stayed overnight in a shed on the elderly woman’s property in Lyman, waited behind a door, and shot her in the back of the head as she sat down to watch television; he is also said to have dragged that victim to a cellar before taking her car.
Arrest, charges and family reaction
Miller was arrested in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after authorities tracked the location of a stolen key fob, the documents state; prosecutors have charged him with three counts of aggravated murder. The filings say Miller told investigators he committed the killings because he needed money and that "it had to be done" though he did not like to do it.
The family of Dewey and Graves issued a statement calling the pair "bonding over the beauty of a hike in one of their favorite places on Earth — cherished by them and the community, considered to be a safe sanctuary, " and added, "They were murdered. We cannot comprehend why this happened. " The statement described Dewey as a wife, mother and grandmother and Graves as "joy, sunshine and beauty embodied. "
Scott Van Zandt, a public defender representing Miller, said during a court hearing on Friday that his client does not want to speak to police or media, and charging documents were filed Thursday in Sixth District Court in Utah.
Prosecutors have not released a trial date; for now, Miller faces three counts of aggravated murder and remains in custody following his arrest in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and the recent court appearance in Utah.
