The Sinister Story Behind This Popular Utah Park Will Give You Chills
Utah is a very safe place to live. In 2015, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, Utah had the fifth lowest murder rate in the country. With just 1.8 homicides per 100,000 people, it’s reasonable to say that the residents of the Beehive State don’t usually spend much time worrying about being murdered. Still, people do kill each other occasionally here, and in 1980, a man from another state visited Salt Lake City just long enough to shoot and kill two young men in one of Utah’s most beautiful, popular parks.
Joseph Paul Franklin was a serial killer who had already shot more than a dozen people in eight states before he showed up in Utah. Franklin was later dubbed "The Racist Killer" because he targeted black victims, often when they were typically interacting with white people. Franklin had a particular bias against interracial couples.
Liberty Park is one of Utah's most beautiful parks, and is often crowded with people enjoying the large, shady trees and grassy areas, but on one day in 1980, it was a sinister place.
On August 20, 1980, David Martin, age 18, and Ted Fields, age 20, met two friends at Liberty Park to go jogging. Their female friends were white; David and Ted were black. While jogging around the park, both men were shot and killed, seemingly from nowhere. A sniper had shot them, using a high-powered rifle.
Catherine Armstrong
Initially, no one was sure why the men were shot, but police suspected that the crime was racially motivated. A prostitute later told police that Joseph Paul Franklin had picked her up, and that he claimed to be a "hit man for the KKK."
Catherine Armstrong
Police were able to track down Franklin's car registration and license plate number, and put it in a national database. Franklin was later arrested in Kentucky, and sent back to Utah for trial.
Catherine Armstrong
Prosecutors and defense attorneys on the case were astounded by Franklin's level of racism. Motel clerks reported that he refused to stay in rooms that had ever been occupied by black people, and that he often asked to see the cooks and servers to make sure they weren't black before deciding to dine in a restaurant.
Catherine Armstrong
As law enforcement agencies in eight other states began to piece together details from recent murders, it quickly became apparent that Franklin was responsible for 22 shootings and 7 deaths. His victims were all black.
During his Utah trial, the jury found him guilty, but did not impose the death penalty. Since he hadn't been sentenced to die, Franklin was then tried for his previous crimes in other states. Ultimately, he was executed on November 20, 2013 in Missouri, after being incarcerated for more than 30 years.
Catherine Armstrong
Today, Liberty Park is a vibrant, beautiful place where people of all races, religions and backgrounds gather to enjoy a warm, summer evening. The park is frequently patrolled by local law enforcement, and is generally a very safe place to play and relax.
The next time you're at Liberty Park, look around at the wonderful, diverse community that enjoys it, and remember the two young men who were killed by the heinous, hateful man who didn't believe they had the same right to be there as him.
Franklin isn’t the first criminal we’ve written about. Ted Bundy also spent time in Utah, and killed several Utah women. Read more about his Utah crimes here. These 10 people left dark stains on Utah’s history. Read about all of them here.
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Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
