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SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of using his car to intentionally hit another man riding a scooter, killing him, may have believed the victim was seeking a protective order against him, according to court records.
Robert Johnson Boyatt, 53, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving death, a third-degree felony.
On July 3, Victor Hershberger, 61, was riding a scooter near 1020 West and 1000 North about 1:15 a.m. when police say Boyatt drove by him going the other direction.
A witness said the car that hit Hershberger "flipped around and literally went on the other side of the road and slammed (Hershberger) hard from behind and kept going," while a second witness stated that "she observed Hershberger crossing the street, when 'a red Honda flipped around at the same time and intentionally ran him over and took off,'" according to charging documents.
Investigators believe Boyatt was traveling between 36 mph and 38 mph when he hit Hershberger.
As detectives pieced their case together, they learned that Boyatt was driving the car that hit Hershberger, which was found abandoned in a parking lot near 250 North Redwood, court records state.
"During a search of the car, officers observed blood, hair and tissue lodged in the shattered windshield. Documents with Boyatt's name were inside the car," according to the charges.
On July 6, Boyatt was found at a campsite near Grantsville and was taken into custody by members of the Salt Lake City SWAT team and the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team.
"Detectives believe Boyatt had been camping in the nearby mountains to evade capture," Salt Lake police said following his arrest, adding that Boyatt had "been on a vengeance spree."
When questioned, detectives say Boyatt changed his story several times about what happened, "but eventually admitted that he had recognized Victor Hershberger as the person he hit with his car, and said he recognized Hershberger when he came up on the windshield," the charges state. He claimed, however, that Hersherberger "came out of nowhere" and that he "panicked" after hitting him.
Prosecutors, however, say "there is substantial evidence based on the fact that (Boyatt) was seen by multiple witnesses making a U-turn, driving the wrong way onto the opposite side of the road, and targeting the victim who was driving a scooter equipped with lights. (Boyatt) didn't stop to render aid to the victim and fled into the neighborhood to avoid police. (He) then hid his car and went out of town, camping in the mountains, to avoid being located by police. (He) told police multiple stories before admitting he knew the victim and knew he had hit the victim," according to the charges.
"Although (Boyatt) denied intentionally striking the victim, he acknowledged that he had recently learned that the victim and (Boyatt's) ex-girlfriend had put a 'protective order' on him," the charges say.
