Man found in burning house died of suicide, police say


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

WEST VALLEY CITY — Investigators and the Utah state medical examiner have determined a man found dead in a house fire Wednesday died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The body of William Richerson, 45, was found about 10 feet inside his front door, 3303 W. 4400 South, by West Valley firefighters responding to his burning house about 1:15 p.m. Wednesday.

West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said investigators determined the fire was intentionally set and are not looking for additional suspects. Neighbors said Richerson lived in the house with his father.

Suicide Prevention Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, KSL encourages you to call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Crisis Hotlines

  • Utah County Crisis Line: 801-226-4433
  • Salt Lake County/UNI Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
  • Wasatch Mental Health Crisis Line: 801-373-7393
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
  • Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386

Online resources

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Pat Reavy

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Notice.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button