Utah Serial Killers
ColdCaseIndex documents 5 serial killers whose murders took place in Utah, with first known killings from 1974 to 2003. 5 of them were caught; 3 linked case files document their victims. The earliest series is Ted Bundy (1974) and the most recent is Scott Lee Kimball (2003). Profiles are added in order of public interest, so this page is not a complete census of the state.
All 5 profiles
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert Bundy
Executed in Florida in 1989. Ted Bundy was convicted of three murders in Florida and confessed to 30 killings of young women across Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Florida between 1974 and 1978.
Joseph Paul Franklin
James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name)
Executed. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist sniper, was convicted of eight murders in Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee committed between 1977 and 1980.
Arthur Gary Bishop
Roger Downs
Executed. Arthur Gary Bishop was convicted in 1984 of abducting and murdering five boys, aged 4 to 13, in the Salt Lake City area between 1979 and 1983.
Christopher Wilder
The Beauty Queen Killer
Died before trial. Christopher Wilder, an Australian-born Florida businessman, is linked by the FBI to at least eight murders and eleven or more abductions across the United States between February 26 and April 13, 1984, when he…
Scott Lee Kimball
Scott Kimball
Serving 70 years. Scott Lee Kimball, a con man released in 2002 to work as a paid FBI informant, pleaded guilty in Boulder County, Colorado, in October 2009 to killing four people, including his uncle, in Colorado and Utah in…
At a glance
| Name | Alias | State | Active | Convicted | Confessed | Suspected | Legal status | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Bundy | Theodore Robert Bundy | Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Florida | 1974 to 1978 | 3 | 30 | 20 attributed by police before his confessions; the FBI put the total at more than 30, and some estimates run to 36 or more | Convicted | Executed |
| Joseph Paul Franklin | James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name) | Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee | 1977 to 1980 | 8 | — | 8 to 22 | Convicted | Executed |
| Arthur Gary Bishop | Roger Downs | Utah | 1979 to 1983 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Convicted | Executed |
| Christopher Wilder | The Beauty Queen Killer | Florida, Texas, Kansas, Utah, California, New York | 1984 | 0 | — | At least 8 killed; 11 or more abducted | Died before trial | Killed |
| Scott Lee Kimball | Scott Kimball | Colorado, Utah | 2003 to 2004 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Convicted | Imprisoned |