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SALT LAKE CITY — Convicted double murderer John Pinder has lost another appeal.
The Utah Supreme Court Tuesday unanimously rejected Pinder's appeal for a new trial. He contends there is new evidence that shows he didn't commit the grisly 1998 killings of two former employees.
Pinder, 56, was convicted of kidnapping Rex Tanner and June Flood from their home in October 1998 with the help of ranch hand Filomeno Valenchia Ruiz. The victims were taken to Pinder's ranch west of Lake Canyon in Duchesne County, where they were killed. Pinder then used dynamite and a bulldozer to try to dispose of their bodies.
In 2012, a 4th District judge rejected Pinder's appeal for a new trial. He claimed he had new evidence to prove his innocence while also making contentions of prosecutorial and juror misconduct during his trial.
In rejecting his latest appeal on Tuesday, the state's high court noted that all of the new witnesses Pinder had that he argued could prove his innocence were "seriously wanting in credibility." The court also noted that the witnesses' claims were "inconsistent with absolutely established, known undisputed facts," and that one of the witnesses in particular was a "bamboozler and professional scam artist" whose testimony could not be trusted.
Prior to the murders, Pinder was known in Duchesne County for owning an African lion as a pet that he used to let ride in the back of his pickup truck when he drove into town.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes released a statement Tuesday after Pinder's latest appeal was rejected.
"This case demonstrates our office's firm commitment to ensuring justice is served in Utah criminal cases, to upholding valid convictions on appeal, and to protecting the rights of victims and their families," he said.
