‘Predatory, violent, unconscionable’: Man sentenced to prison for 2014 triple murder

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — A man was sentenced to prison Wednesday for his involvement in the murders of three men nearly a decade ago.

The defendant, Richard Christopher, was sentenced to 56 years to life in prison by a Third District Court judge after being found guilty on eight felony charges involving the disappearance and deaths of Danny Gallegos, Braden Emerson, and Levi Collins in November 2014.

On Nov. 2, 2014, the Salt Lake City Police Department reportedly took a missing persons report stating Gallegos and Collins had not returned from an outing. The next day, a family member reported Emerson missing, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said.

That same day, Salt Lake County Animal Control reportedly asked SLCPD to help them with a dog abandoned in a vehicle. The DA’s office said that vehicle had bloodstains, and was identified as belonging to Gallegos.

The blood was later determined to be from Collins and Emerson, the DA’s office said.

A witness reportedly told police that Gallegos was planning to meet him on Nov. 1, 2014 to give him $200,000 cash so the witness could purchase a home for Gallegos. Christopher was at the prearranged location with the witness, the DA’s office said.

The witness said when the men arrived arrived for the cash, Gallegos got out of his vehicle and Christopher got into it. Christopher reportedly asked Collins and Emerson to take him to a nearby RV, and when they arrived, he shot and killed the two men.

Christopher and the witness then cremated the bodies at a Utah County crematorium typically used for large animals, the DA’s office said.

Christopher was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life for both first-degree felony aggravated murders, a consecutive term of five years to life for one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, 1-15 years for one count of second-degree felony obstructing justice, 0-5 years, running concurrently, for three counts of third-degree felony abuse or desecration of a human body, and credit for time served for one count of third-degree felony use of a firearm by a restricted person.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said the murders were “predatory, violent, and unconscionable.”

“The brutality of these murders was driven by greed and executed with callousness,” Gill said. “Hopefully with today’s resolution, this defendant will likely never see another day of freedom.”

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