From Standrod’s appeal: The appellant and his fiancee owned a mountain cabin in the process of construction. There were seven people occupying the various finished portions of the cabin, three men engaged in helping the appellant build the cabin and two transient hitchhikers who had been picked up the day before the killing and invited to spend the night at the cabin.
After breakfast all except the two hitchhikers ingested some drugs. (T.H.C. Tetrahydrocannabinol and cocaine were available to them.)
About 1:00 p.m. the three workmen were working. One of them entered the room where the two hitchhikers were lying on a foam mattress apparently asleep. While he was searching for a tape measure, he heard loud shots behind him. He turned around and saw the appellant standing in front of the two hitchhikers. He saw shots fired and also saw a hole in the temple of the female hitchhiker and numerous gunshot wounds in the midsection of the male hitchhiker.
Another worker, hearing shots, armed himself with a shotgun and entered the cabin. He testified that the appellant had a strange look on his face and said, “So what? You’ve got a little blood on you,” and that the appellant was looking at the bodies of the hitchhikers when he spoke.
The third worker testified that he heard shots, approached the appellant, and asked him why he shot the two people. The appellan replied, “Oh, it just had to be done.” He also testified that appellant’s fiancee was questioning the appellant as to why he had shot the people and that appellant only answered, “They will wake up.”
Two of the workmen testified that appellant ordered them back to work and picked up a rifle. The two men ran and hid in the woods for a period of time. They later left the state. One went to Washington, the other to Nevada where he notified the police of the killings.
The third workman dug a hole and buried the bodies. He testified that he removed the bloody mattress from the cabin and that appellant washed the blood from the floor.
The police arrived at the cabin the day after the killing, and according to the testimony of the remaining workman the appellant then became agitated and upset and attempted to hide the mattress by covering it with plywood.
The workman, the appellant and his fiancee were all three arrested and charged with murder. Later the workman and the fiancee were granted immunity from prosecution.
My daughter is dead and I don’t know why (part 1)
Teresa part 2)
Section petition filed
Boca girl murderer convicted
State of Utah v Kenneth Lee Standrod 1976 (conviction and sentence affirmed)
Killer pleads not guilty to aggravated assault
