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MURRAY — Police have arrested a man suspected of driving the car of an 85-year-old woman on the morning she was found dead in her burning house.
Christen Spencer, 49, was arrested on a federal warrant by the U.S. Marshal Service on Wednesday night and booked into the Davis County Jail. Spencer was already on the Murray Police Department's radar for its homicide investigation before he was picked up, said Murray police detective Kenny Bass.
Investigators now believe they have enough information to link him to the stolen vehicle and the homicide, Bass said.
"I was informed that he is being investigated as being involved in the murder," Bass said Friday afternoon. "What led them to believe this, whether it's evidence, what information it is, I don't know."
Shirley Sharp was found dead in her house, 20 E. Winchester St. (6400 South), on Jan. 25. An autopsy determined she died from blunt force trauma to her head. Someone also intentionally set a small fire in the bedroom where she was found.
About 30 minutes before her body was discovered, officers from the Utah Transit Authority pulled over a vehicle near 75 W. 5300 South. The driver, however, sped away while he was being questioned.
I was informed that he is being investigated as being involved in the murder. What led them to believe this, whether it's evidence, what information it is, I don't know.
–Detective Kenny Bass, Murray PD
"They believe (Spencer) was the one located in Shirley Sharp's car when the UTA officer made the traffic stop," Bass said.
Investigators tracked the license plate to Sharp's home, where they found her dead and part of her house on fire. Autopsy results show she died from a blow to the head.
KSL found court documents showing Spencer has been in an out of federal prison.
In 2002, Spencer was indicted in federal court for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted and sentenced in 2005 to 27 months in federal prison. In 2004, he was indicted federally for possessing stolen mail and identification fraud, according to court records. He was sentenced to eight months in prison to run concurrent with his other federal sentence.
Spencer was convicted in 2012 of an amended charge of attempting to use or possess someone else's bank card, according to court records. In 2001, he was convicted of felony drug possession and sentenced to a year in jail. In 1997 Spencer was convicted of felony forgery and felony theft in another case.
Police say Sharp's family is relieved to be one step closer to finding out exactly what happened.
"Family has been through a lot and didn't want to say a lot regarding it," Bass said.
