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MILLCREEK — Police list his occupation as "contract killer."
They're talking about Stephen Wayne Anderson. Unified police detective Ben Pender used words like "crazy," "no emotion" and "no soul" to describe the 48-year-old serial killer who was executed by lethal injection in California in 2002.
On Friday, Pender and Unified Police Chief Jim Winder announced that they now believe Anderson was also responsible for a 35-year-old murder in Millcreek Canyon.
On Feb. 23, 1980, the body of Timothy Glashien, 22, was discovered by tin collectors about two miles up the canyon. Winder said he was shot four times — twice in the head, likely execution-style at close range.
Investigators say if Anderson were still alive, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office agreed that it now has enough evidence to charge him with murder.
Likewise, prosecutors now have enough evidence to charge Ace W. Fairbanks, with murder and aggravated robbery. But Fairbanks is also dead. He died in Iowa in 1986 at age 48 of natural causes, Winder said. Plus, the statute of limitation to charge him with those crimes expired in 1984.
Regardless, Winder said Friday it is important to officially bring the cold case murder to a resolution.
"I think it's important because it demonstrates once again to our community that this organization will never let lie these cases that we consider cold. We will continue to work diligently as long as possible, as long as any lead exists, to identify and eventually prosecute — or in this case, hold responsible the individuals that have taken the life of an individual — no matter how long ago," he said.
I think it's important because it demonstrates once again to our community that this organization will never let lie these cases that we consider cold. We will continue to work diligently as long as possible, as long as any lead exists, to identify and eventually prosecute — or in this case, hold responsible the individuals that have take the life of an individual — no matter how long ago.
–Jim Winder
Glashien's brother, Edward Glashien, joined Winder at Friday's announcement. He said his parents died several years ago. But Glashien's other brother and sister are still alive.
"They were both surprised by this news. To me, I guess knowing the facts of the case or at least the story that represents this is what happened is somewhat comforting maybe, or at least it completes in my mind this unexplainable, perhaps, mystery feeling of being wronged beyond words," he said.
"Frankly, after 35 years, it's kind of closed in our mind. But now it's officially closed and the details are tracked down. It feels good."
In 1980, Tim Glashien knew a man who knew Fairbanks, Pender said. Fairbanks had asked the acquaintance if he knew anyone who wanted to buy marijuana, he said. The acquaintance put Fairbanks in touch with Glashien.
But detectives believe there was a misunderstanding about how much marijuana Glashien was going to buy. Pender said police now believe Fairbanks thought Glashien intended to buy several pounds of marijuana for several thousand dollars. Because it was the first time Glashien had ever purchased drugs from him, Fairbanks reportedly thought it was odd that he wanted such a large amount and became convinced he was a police informant, Pender said.
Because of that, police believe Fairbanks hired Anderson to kill Glashien. When the day of the drug deal arrived, the acquaintances asked to go with the men. Fairbanks and Anderson said there wasn't enough room in the car and they drove off with Glashien, Pender said. That was the last time Glashien was seen alive.
Fairbanks and Anderson knew each other from the Utah State Prison where Anderson had a colorful history.
Anderson was convicted of aggravated burglary in 1971 and three counts of aggravated burglary in 1973. He was sent to Utah from another state in 1975 as part of an agreement, according to prison officials. While incarcerated, he stabbed another inmate to death in 1979, Pender said. Anderson then managed to escape from prison in November of 1979, according to state prison officials.
"He indicated he wasn't going to get caught hitchhiking or anything like that," Pender said.
While on the run in Utah, police believe Anderson was hired to kill Glashien. After his murder, Anderson fled west where police believe he committed additional murders in Nevada for which he was never convicted.
Three months after Glashien was killed, Anderson broke into the home of an elderly woman in San Bernadino County, California, allegedly to burglarize the house. While inside, the woman — a retired piano teacher — woke up and screamed. Pender said Anderson shot her at close range, killing her. He then went into her kitchen to make a cup of noodles and pour some milk.
A next door neighbor saw him eating through a window and called police, who arrested him while he was still eating.
Anderson was executed on Jan. 29, 2002, for the murder of the elderly woman. Investigators confirmed he had killed three people but he was thought to be responsible for many more.
"While incarcerated at Utah State Prison, Anderson murdered an inmate, assaulted another inmate, and assaulted a correctional officer. Anderson also admitted to six other contract killings in Las Vegas, Nevada, that happened prior to the crime for which he received a death sentence," according to the California Department of Corrections.
The gun that Anderson used to kill the woman was the same gun used to kill Glashien, Pender said.
Anderson was a suspect early on in the Glashien investigation and he even confessed to the crime at one point, according to Pender. But Utah authorities still needed more information before declaring the case solved, he said.
"There was some speculation that because of the other crimes he had committed that maybe he was taking the fall for somebody else in the case. That's why we had wanted to verify peoples' involvement in the case to make sure he was actually the one," the detective said.
Pender reopened the case about a year ago. It was during that time that he learned Fairbanks was a bigger player in the case than originally believed.
He said he had recently contacted Fairbanks' sister to let her know about her brother's alleged involvement in the case.
"She said, 'If that happened, I'm sorry. And I hope that the family gets closure,' is what she had stated to me. But she wasn't aware of this particular case," Pender said.
Edward Glashien said his brother's death was very hard on his parents.
"At the time of this event, I saw them age maybe 10 years. And they were never quite back to what they were prior to this event," he said. "We were all quite shocked at the seeming unfairness of this."
Glashien said his brother marched to the beat of his own drum, but was very loving, generous and was a "jovial character" who loved to hike and travel. He graduated from Viewmont High School.
"To this day when I run into his friends around town, they get tears in their eyes talking about him. I never heard a bad word said about my brother Tim," Glashien said.
Contributing: Keith McCord
