| OCR Text |
Show gt D2 The TheSalt Lake Tribune UTAH ‘Condemned Killer Wants ‘To View Sci-Fi Movies _, Joseph Mitchell Parsons, scheduled to die early Friday morning by lethal injection, has asked to Separate groupswill develop, conductpolls for opposite ends of Wasatch Boulevard BYJOHN KEAHEY LT L THI RIBUNE homeowner's attitude is toward the noise walls,” says UDOTproject managerC) E That is not all UDOT wants to know. Surveyors State transportation officials who built 16-foothigh sound walls along Wasatch Boulevard on Salt LakeCity's east bench are planningto survey resi. from io Data Corp.of Salt Lake Cityalso will attempt The films, suggested by ie ae are “Star _ No explanation was given for thelist, although _ prisonofficials say the condemned inmatelikes to read sciencefiction novels. Parsons, whohas refused tospe: ith most reporters, has likely not watched a moviesince 1982. On Wednesday, Parsonswill moveoff death row forthe last time. After dark, he will be escortedfrom the Utah State Prison’s Uinta 1 maximumsecurity wing to a death watchcell in Uinta 2. The next day, Thursday, Parsons, 35, will be al- jowed to walk under thestars, prisonofficials said. His last outdoorwalk will take place onagrassy knoll between the building that houses death row and the building wherehewill be executed. Parsons also has requested a game ofbasketball, although prison officials may deny therequest for fear an injury would delay the execution. They have granted a last meal of a Burger King hamburger, frenchfries and a milk shake. The death watch cell — which contains a bench, bed. sink andtoilet is down a short hallway from thestate's execution chamber, where a gurneyis al- ready waiting Parsons, who was sentenced to die 12 years ago for the stabbing murder and robberyof California resi dent Richard Ernest, has asked to die. He ended his federal appealsearlier this year, short of reviews by the U.S. District Court andthe U.S.10th Circuit Court of Appeals. oe UDOTPoll to Gauge Fury OverSoundWalls; watchfivesciencefiction movies beforehedies. “The “The Mummy,” rmageddon”and “Alien: Resurrection.” Saturday,¢October9, 1999 to determine whether each resident within two to three blocks above Wasatch had an opportunity to express an opinion before the walls werebuilt. Many who opposed the wails after construction complain they hadlittle or no say in the original unsctentitic UDOT surveys. They say if they had been askedtwo years ago, they would havesaid “no.” “Tt was no then by a majorityof usandit isstill no,” says beleaguered resident Bill Brown, whose sweeping view of the Salt Lake Valley from his Wasatch Boulevard homehas beenreplaced by a concrete slab dents tosee if the walls should come down. After dozens of gripes and noisy public hearings during 1999, the Utah Department of Transportation is paying a firm$7,300 to conduct the opinionpoll. UDOTis putting together two committees to fashionthe poll’s language: oneon theproject's north end using handpicked residents from 3300 South to the end of Wasatch near Parleys Canyon;the otherat the south end, between 3300 South and 3580 South. on the street’s west side and conversation-stopping Each committee will be made up ofthree residents whofavor the walls and three who opposethem. plus. astate transportation commissioner, legislators and noiseinhis front yard. But the problem is not so much the view, Brown UDOTstaff. It is that while the slabs are designed to block The groups’ first by-invitation-only meetings are hoi e from Interstate 215 directly to the west, the noise rolls over the top and up the hill to homesbuilt scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. There, they higher. will work to develop an acceptable questionnaire that will be deliveredto residentsvia certified mail. nd for those who, like Brown, live along Wasatch itself, thewallsreflect road noise from that street as “We want to find out what each individual FIRES LEAVE FAMILIES HOMELESS Two fires broke out in Salt Lake County Friday evening leaving two families without homes. Two officers patrolling West Valleynoticed smokeat 6282 W. 4100 South at about 7 p.m. and went insideto investi gate. The fire was too big for the officers, Larry Schmidt and Wayne Ashton, to put out themselves, so they called the fire department and evacuated a mother and her 6: and 8-year-old children, as well as several pets, said West Valley Fire Chief Oliver Moore, Firefighters quickly put out theflames, but the fire caused $110,000 worth of damage and left major dainage to theceiling after spreading through the entireattic. Investigators do not know what caused the fire. In Salt Lake County, a neighbornoticed afire at 2144 E. 4000 S., andtriedto put it out with an extinguisher, Salt Lake CountyFire Capt. Bill Brass gaid. “He broke somewindowsto bring in ahose, but it pretty much gutted the house by the time we got there.” Brass said. The fire caused BODYIDENTIFIED A bodyfound onthe banks ofthe Virgin River has Nemetz. Twofishermen found the body Sunday, said Joe Szalay, a Mesquite Nev. deputypolice chief Nemetz, 40. was naked withhis feet in the water Nemetz’s mother, Carol Galbraith, told St. George police Monday that her son was missing and she had not seen himfortwo weeks. Szalay said investigators are awaiting results from toxicology tests beforean: flouncing the cause of death. Foul playis not suspected. not abused her medication. a “This community continues to state publicly how much good the mission does,” Stewart said. “We want tO ask of city officials if that's true, help us find a lovation.” Where the mission will move now is unknown Stewart said Its office equipment will be moved to a storage shed. It may offer training classes and counseling services in a park, or from a fourplex it owns in West Valley City Stewart has located space downtown where ire permitted but said that “we won't be an a church typically does. We 2eon, We'rejust go. vay to do it,” he said DeerKilling Brings Cry For Councilman’s Ouster ricusly. She said dispatchers kept Kelly on theline because they were concerned for her welfare. When the duty lieutenant went to Keliy’s home to check on her, hedid not request any medical assistance. heydidn’t ask for anything —- nobloodtests or Breathalyzers,” Kelly said. “If it had been one of my the department.” But Kellyclaims she does not rememberthecall becauseof a severe reaction to two 10-milligram bien tablets she swallowedto help hersleep. She Am: Serial Killer Confesses To Three More Murders half-way hou: and learned she kept cash in the house, investigators say Troyer gained entry to Westerman’s home byask- ing to use the telephone, Yocom said. When Westerman refusedto come up with any cash, Troyer B Continued from D-1 ® Lucille Westerman, 73, who was strangled Aug. 23, 1988, but lived another three weeks never panne Con} clousne liberal wackos” and “felons,” Black in percent of the people in Monticello want to get ffi of the deer Un tate law, the attorney general, county at tarne may bring a lawsuit seeking the “high crimes and mis: nce in office.” A conviction the “high crimes” provi calls, | would have had to request medicalassisten Theydidn’t.I believe they didn’t want any proof that Shesaid she began taking the sleeping medication and psychological counseling after a 1994 suicideattempt. She says she was distraught because of the deaths of a family memberandtwofriends. Because she used alcohol and drugs in the attempt, she was put on probation for two years. But sheinsists that four urinetests showed she hadnot taken thosesubstancessince then. Several officers and supervisorstestified in the Civil Service Commissiontrial that Kelly is a gagd police officer who handlessituations well, according to court documents. Butin his letter, Ortega lists several complains: twicefailing to perform duties, two suicideattempts in 1994, three preventableaccidents, failure to maintain her vehicle and lying to her supervisors once-in 1998 so she couldsleep in. Forherpart, Kelly says the department worked withother officers who had personal problems, but failed to do so with her becauseshe is a woman and an African American, Since her termination, the department hasa single femaleblack officer. conviction D, does seem to have convinced atleast one naysay: the U.S. ArmyCorpsof Engineers, which would have to issue a permit before the road could be built. He “It does appear the newproposal does comply with ThelmaLillian Tillie” Blodgett re: ear on a burglary Paroled againin 1985, Troyer murdered Blodgett, n days later, prosecutors said. Two weeks after Ov ard’s death, Troyer was arrested for breakinginto the homeofan elderly woman whowas not homeat the time. He pleaded guilty to burglary and was sent to pri Troyerkilled forsex and money. Three years later, $ par house. Within two week: ipanrievex Lunkadt ni lived three doors away. Wester: man’s murder followed five days later, police said Each time he has been paroled, He hadno problems discussing the murders, but @ Continued from D-1 hope, prosecutors say, and w: turned to prison the same asphyxiated Aug. 18, 1988. Troyer pleaded guilty after semen on a towel also was traced to him. reluctant to talk about masturbating, Yocom said A fellow inmate testified Troyer confided that he chose el women because they were he’s committed a new crime,” said oyer found three victims af. June sentencing hearing. “He's clearly a danger to the community.” Troyer was charged with Luck iu's death in 1989 but the case was neighborhoods, looking for elderly women working alone in their yards, prosecutorssaid. Two other dismissed after a judge suppressed women becametargets because Troyer had befriended members of incriminating statements and DNA evidence. The Utah Supreme DeEsta “Tessie” Court sent the ase backfor trialin Sarah Easthope 1997 house Rapist for attacking nine anwhile, DNAtechnology had advanced to where seant semen samples from the Ovard murder their families Easthope’'s son was Ronald Dale Easthope, known as the Sugar women in 1970 and 1971, The two men met in prison, When they Lyoille Westerman were paroled, Troyer visited East : grandson at a Salt Lake the Clean ates Act,” said Corps spokesman Jason Fanselau. “it appears permittable.” EPA’s Cody downplayed thesignificance of the Corp: apparent change of heari. “E' prove that per ‘mit,” hesaid. Theproposed 2-mile highway would run west ‘of en Farmington and North Salt Interstate 15 bet an increasinglycongested sectionof the Wa satch Front. The route traverses a narrowstrip pf land squeezed by the mountains and Davis County cities on theeast and the GreatSalt Lake on the west Alignment A had Corps support because it would destroy the ieast amount of wetlands, 113acres. But Davis County cities never accepted this easternmost route becauseit would block their growth opportu nities to the west Instead, cities and the state had been pushing the westernmost route, Alignment C, as thelocally pre. ferred nment. But federal agencies balked ‘because it would destroythe most wetlands , 148 acres. The new compromise route, Alignment D, was brokered this summer by state Rep. Kevin Garn, R prosecutor Ernest Jones at Troyer’s ter strolling through Salt Lake Legacy Highway Must Jump EPA Hurdles year. But the new proposed route, knownas Alignment woman who used a wheelch was pa Investigators said the killer mas cene couldbe tested and matched to Troyer, allowing charges to befiled in her death. Facing a possible death penalty for killing Luckau, ‘Troyer in Junepleaded guilty in both cases in ex change for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Layton, and Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful. It essentially wouldfall between A and C and consume118 acres of wetlands, five more than Alignment A. Leavitt expects the state Transportation Commis sionto endorse Alignment Das the newlocally pre: ferred alignment later this month, And if federal regulators approve the route, he has promised the state would replace lost wetlands tenfold by creating a Legacy Parkwaybetweenthehighway andthe lake Garnmaintained Friday that Alignment D is siip- ported by “all of us, including environmental groups.” But the only environmental grouphe iden. tified was Farmington Bay Advocates,a coalition of Mail-In Voter Registration Reopensin §.L. County Mail-in voterregistration has reopened for those wishing to vote in the municipal general elections, says the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office. Residents need to register be we the Oct. 13 mail-in registra tion deadline. ering by mail is the ‘onvenient way to get on the voter rolls, according to County Clerk Sherrie Swensen. After the deadline, those pate in the wishing to part Nov. 2 general ele tion will have to appear in perse theCounty Clerk's Office to reg Swens: placed m in counter it the county ilable at post nd state agen cies. A voter t stration form also can be found on Page 55of the Salt Lake City phone locations thr Theforms are offices, libraric directory 3 wal, he would provide legal assi cello taxpayers who want to act as plaintiffs in a lawsuit Halls, who could not be reached Friday, has earlier torneyCullenBattle. Battle was unavailablefor comment Friday about his group's position, but UDOT’s Parkeragreed. with Garn’s assessmentthat the duck-club ow mers age sin board. tration form at one of those loca tions. For more information, call 468-3427 ternative D. “We sure haven't, and most of the groups in our coalition haven't,” hesaid four years may obtain a regis. The Sierra Club's MareHeileson derided thé i any environmentalists have embracet{ {I tion t hat 1995LEXUS. LOVE, YOUR FAMILY treatment. To make sure, the DWRintends to re-examine how the Black inves. duck-club owners represented bySalt Lake City ut Residents who have moved or who have not voted in the past LOOKIE! LOOKIE! are not allowed to continuein a position of public tru Cook wrote in an Oct. 6 letter to Halls Cook said that if the county attorney declines to tigation was handled, accordingto agency spokesman Steve Phillips. / farther south, or who jqst pass by on 1-215 are not being polled becausethisiGF a Blodgett was also killed for $300 after Troyer was inside her home to makea call, Yo: com said. Troyer has spent most of his adult life behindbars, starting with tempting to rape a 71-year-old fleeing. The Constitution and laws of Utah were designed ire that people like Mr. Black, who openly defy ’ the mountain, or who soundissue,nota visual one.” Wardle adds: “We wantto knowif they are aagtn from the area because of the walls and how they wouldfeiif the walls are torn down.” i strangled her. a 1979 convictionfor attacking and overpleaded guilty to killing: @ Drucilla Ovard, 83, who was fen and strangled July 18, 1985. Troyer met the victim's bg lobbing insults and stormed out of the meeting, said résident Ray Arbe Claiming the September council meeting wa denied giving Black special torstestified they did not take herclient's threats se- they separated thefire and police dispatchers,” Kelly saidof her4:30 a.m,call, “so I threatened to blow up hope's homeseveral times, according to Yocom Westerman’s murder also has a prison connecti itinued from D-1 came under fire at a Sept. 22 City Couns whiere angry residen thered to hear D Milburn explain w he dumped the criminal case against Black Residents wondered ny Black was yetting off while other residents « t poaching fac jail and the los of their hunt ng privileges. Black sponded ta Kelly unsuccessfully appealed her termination to the Salt Lake City Civil Service Commission. Her case nowgoes to the Utah Court of Appeals. Her attorney, Carol Clawson, said dispatch opera- 1998, Kellycalled a friend who worksasa dispatch operator. “I said the administration made me mad because at thescenetied himto the murder, @ Continued from D-1 the law, Salt LakeCity.” Kelly's attorney's fees. Both police brass and Kelly agree that on Nov, 9, @ Ethel Luckau, 88, who was ficial for effectively and that to continue your employment asa police officer jeopardizes the safety of the citizens of weekto the Utah Court of Appeals. The Salt Lake City Police Association is paying turbated onto a towel before ‘ juired mphasized ingly took an excessive dose of Ambien andshe had a history of reprimands. ‘ou havelost the trust of those who supervise you,” Ortega wrote. “I do not believe you can serve fall, then threatened to blow up her department. Officer Karen Kelly's lawyer says the call to dispatch did not harmanyone, did not meet the legal standardof conduct unbecoming to an officer and was not willful misconduct, accordingtoa brieffiled this Left With No Place to Go of “We are surveying only those who are directly impacted, who endure sound levels higher than recommended,” Wardle says. “People much higher on T wasn’t drunk.” However,in a letter dated Dec. 11, 1998, Salt Lake City Police Chief Ruben Ortega said Kelly madeseveral non-emergency calls that evening, she know- A Salt LakeCitypolice officer is appealing her firing, saying she did not act unprofessionally when she inadvertently overdosed on sleeping medication last Mission Is Evicted; émoval Wardle says the survey, which will be written aid sentto each homeownerwithin twoorthree biocks-of Wasatch,should give UDOT a fair gauge on residents’ attitudes. ud Herdoctortestified at a police hearing that she had LT LAKE TRIBUNE, Troyerpleaded guilty after semen dpm $1 fon. ( firm, although UDOTis paying itsfee. She says conduct wasnot unprofessional, cites reaction to sleep medication. Chief says department’s trust betrayed: beenidentified as St, Georgeresident Michael Robert su sh Theinterpretationwillbe left up to lo Data Corp says Wardle, whichhecalls an “independent” survey $60,000 worth of damave, and Brass said investigators are unsure of the cause. 4 a to say ‘no.’ I Just don’t trust UDOTto interpret the data properly.” Officer Admits Violent Threats, But Appeals Firing shesuffered side affects of amnesia and confusion. FOR THE RECORD well Brown has little patience for the new survey planried during the next month. “Tt just gets old,” he says of his and others’ y‘ long battle against the walls. “I am not worried about the outcome; I'm confidentthe majority will contivite 4 POOR C‘OPY |
