Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — More than nine years after three Salt Lake men mysteriously disappeared, and following years of what prosecutors call a complex and extensive investigation, a jury has convicted the man accused in the trio's killings.
Tuesday night, Richard Christopher, 58, of Salt Lake City, was found guilty by a jury of murdering Branden Emerson and Levi Collins. The jury, however, acquitted Christopher in the killing of Danny Gallegos even though they convicted him of abusing or desecrating Gallegos' body.
In total, Christopher was found guilty of two counts of aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; and three counts of abuse or desecration of a dead body and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, third-degree felonies.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27.
"This is a horrible case of greed that led to the deaths of multiple men. We hope these convictions will help give the victims' families the chance to start healing from the tragic loss of their loved ones," Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said.
The drawn-out investigation began on Nov. 1, 2014, when Collins, 34, Danny "Kiko" Gallegos, 35, and Emerson, 23, left their homes to go ride all-terrain vehicles in Bountiful. When the trio didn't return home, their families reported them missing to Salt Lake police the next day.
Two days later, Gallegos' abandoned Chevy Tahoe was found near the Jordan River at 1740 W. 1500 South. An uninjured dog that belonged to Collins was in the vehicle. Detectives also found a large amount of blood that DNA tests would later determine to be Collins' and Emerson's.
Richard Christopher and his son, Justin Christopher, were the owners of JC Custom Jewelry, 230 W. 200 South. Justin Christopher also helped Gallegos — a drug trafficker and FBI informant — launder money, according to numerous search warrant affidavits and charging documents. Police say that on the day the three men were murdered, Gallegos went to the jewelry store with $200,000 cash for the purpose of buying a house.
Investigators believe the three men stopped by on their way to Bountiful. Collins and Emerson stayed in the car while Gallegos went inside.
Justin Christopher allegedly told Gallegos that he no longer wanted to purchase the house for him, and a verbal argument ensued. During the argument, Richard Christopher walked up behind Gallegos and shot him in the head, killing him, according to court documents. Gill's office says Christopher then went out to the vehicle where Collins and Emerson were waiting and told them to take him to a nearby RV. Once they arrived, Richard Christopher shot and killed the other two men, according to Gill.
After that, Richard Christopher took all three bodies to a Utah County cremation retort typically used for large animals, and cremated the men.
Three weeks later on Nov. 21, 2014, Salt Lake police, with the assistance of a SWAT team, served a search warrant on the Christophers' motorhome. Numerous guns were found inside. Richard Christopher pleaded guilty in federal court in June of 2016 to being a restricted person in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison.
Justin Christopher was convicted in federal court of money laundering related to his dealings with Gallegos. During his court proceedings, his attorney repeated several times that his client did not kill anyone, as the Christophers had become the key focus into the disappearance of the three men.
During his sentencing in federal court in 2017, Justin Christopher's attorney, Loni Deland, spoke about the 2014 meeting at the jewelry store.
"My client had decided that he no longer wanted a part of that. He wanted to withdraw. He didn't want to do any more money laundering," Deland said, according to the transcript of the hearing. "As the argument went on and Kiko began to insist and threaten that my client go through with this and purchase this house, my client's father walked up, with no foreknowledge by my client, and put a bullet in the top of this man's head. Then he went out and made arrangements to kill the other two people that were sitting out in the car.
"My client got involved with the disposal of the remains and, after some months, came to me and said, 'I can't live with this anymore,'" Deland continued. He said his client gave all of that information to Salt Lake police.
In 2019, more than four years after the three men disappeared, Richard Christopher was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated murder.
Despite the acquittal on one of the murder charges, Gill said Wednesday that he believes justice was served.
"There was nothing easy about this case from the beginning," he said. "This isn't like on TV. You have to work these cases, gather the evidence, and carry your burden of proof."
Gill gives big kudos to his office and Salt Lake police for stitching together pieces of evidence and working long hours to get to this point. He said they knew from the beginning that three murders had taken place. But they needed to meet their burden of proof in court about how the events unfolded.
"It's about building that chain of evidence," he said.
Justin Christopher did testify against his father during the state trial.
As for why the jury found Richard Christopher not guilty in Gallegos' death, even though he was convicted of robbing him and burning his body, Gill said it is a question that may never be answered.
"Everything is going to be speculative of what I say, because that is always the mystery of the jury," he said. "We will never know how a jury came up with their decision. But we just have to live with that. That's just the way it is. This is our process (and) we prepare for it."
