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foreign [Music] deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you
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need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for
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a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website
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it was around 7 45 pm on Monday November 16 2009 when a 9-1-1 operator in Utah picked up a call from a woman named
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Pamela Mortensen she explained that she and her husband had just survived a home invasion at a
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house belonging to Pamela's father-in-law Kay Mortensen Pamela said the perpetrators had tied
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her and her husband up in the living room while telling them Kaye was restrained on the second floor
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Pamela seemed unable to recall how many offenders were involved hesitating as she said
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[Music] um there could have been three she explained they had been ordered not to look at The Intruders so she couldn't
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describe their features Pamela also claimed it had been too dark for her to see what kind of car they
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were driving when asked if The Intruders had been white Black Or Hispanic Pamela replied
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in a slightly terse tone ma'am I don't know the operator found the call strange for someone who had just lived through
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such a traumatic experience Pamela's voice was calm and steady her answers were also vague and
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unhelpful Pamela said that she thought her father-in-law might be dead but she wasn't sure
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the operator asked to speak to Pamela's husband Roger Mortensen instead when Roger took the phone he said there
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had been two Intruders and both were white they had stolen his driver's license from his wallet and threatened to harm
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Roger and his family if he called the police Roger explained that after The Intruders
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left and he'd escaped his restraints he went upstairs to find his father Kay Mortensen was on the bathroom floor
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cold to the touch Roger remarked a matter of factly he's leaned over facing forward in the
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bathtub with his throat sliced with a butcher knife all the way up the operator asked if Roger knew why
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anyone would want to harm Kaye Roger answered yeah he's rich [Music] [Music] [Music]
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deputies from the county sheriff's department were dispatched to Kay mortensen's address near Payson Utah
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the lodge house sat on a hill at the end of a winding driveway and it was one of
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two houses owned by 70 year old Kaye he and his wife Darla spent most of their time at their primary residence in
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Saint George about 250 miles south near the Arizona border but they usually checked in on the
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Payson property about twice a month lately they hadn't been there much at all both K and Darla were devoted members of
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the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints three weeks earlier they'd completed an
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18-month Mission together at Fort Cove Utah the older couple had only been married
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for about three years and had bonded over their dedication to their Church K's 48 year old son Roger the eldest of
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his three adult children lived near the Payson residence and had been checking on it often while they were away
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shortly after Kaye and adala finished their mission K went to stay at the house while dala went to look after her
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granddaughters in Salt Lake City which was about an hour away dala was due to rejoin her husband to
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later that night and then she and Kay had been planning to return to their Saint George residence the next day
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K's son Roger and his 34 year old wife Pamela told investigators that that was why they'd decided to go over that
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evening they thought it might be nice to spend some time with Kay and adala before they
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left Pamela had phoned Darla's cell phone and asked if they'd like to play board games
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later that evening dollar agreed Pamela had received a pecan pie at work earlier that day and knowing it was
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Kay's favorite she and Roger decided to bring it with them Roger and Pamela provided a more
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detailed version of this story they'd shared with 9-1-1 prior to going to Kay's house they had
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tried calling his landline and his cell phone both calls went unanswered this wasn't unusual as sometimes K would
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doze off and not hear his phones Roger and Pamela drove over with the pecan pie just as dusk was falling
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when they arrived at Kay's house they noticed an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway
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Roger identified it as a compact hatchback star vehicle that was dark in color possibly blue
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lights were on inside the house figuring that perhaps K had company over and that's why he had an answer to the
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phone Roger and Pamela knocked on the door it was answered by an unfamiliar young
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white male who the couple said they thought was a handyman Kay had been having issues with his
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internet connection lately and was also planning on replacing some carpet Pamela assumed the man was there to help
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with one of those tasks Pamela asked if Kay was home and the man said yes he was upstairs
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Pamela explained that they were there to drop off a pie and the man replied go ahead
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Pamela and Roger entered the home and Pamela made her way up a set of interior steps that led inside
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then she heard the man asked her to come back down as the front door clicked shut
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behind her at the same time a second man appeared on the staircase that led to the first
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floor and began walking towards them in his hands were a number of zip ties and a black semi-automatic handgun
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you're in the wrong place at the wrong time he told the couple he ordered them to bind each other's
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wrists with the zip ties before marching them into Kay's living room according to Roger and Pamela they were
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clean-cut white men aged in their early to mid-20s and addressed in Levi jeans and t-shirts
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both had short hair that appeared to have been dyed black and mustaches or goatees
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the couple said they looked the same Roger believed they were the same height and size as him making them around five
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foot nine and between 150 to 165 pounds Roger tried to bargain with the man begging
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just let us leave let us take our pecan pie and leave but the men refused making the couple
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kneel on the living room floor in front of the television instead then they bound their ankles with the
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zip ties as well when Pamela asked where K was they told her he was restrained upstairs
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the couple said The Intruders were almost polite Roger had a back injury and they checked
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that he was comfortable as they restrained him but they were threatening as well
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they rummaged through the couple's Pockets confiscating their cell phones and IDs
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at one point one of the men said that because Roger and Pamela had seen their faces they would have to kill them
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[Music] Pamela felt panicked until she noticed a picture of Jesus Christ that Kaye had
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hanging on the wall being a woman of Faith the pitcher gave her comfort she began praying silently to God
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repeating the words if you're there save me soon the two men headed outside leaving
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the couple alone in the living room there was a large window in the room that looked out over the east side of
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the property Pamela gazed out the window and saw a figure standing outside in the dimming
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light holding what looked like a broom the figure noticed Pam looking and to gestured for her to look away
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she did so and told Roger he should also keep his head down the couple said they were left alone in
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the room for between 30 and 45 minutes at one point Roger started to pray aloud like his father he was a member of the
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LDS Church eventually the two men returned Pamela nudged a Roger indicating he should be quiet due to the man's
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presence Roger stopped but the man told him to continue then they folded their arms across their
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chests and bowed their heads which was the traditional praying stance in the LDS Faith while listening in silence
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when Roger finished his prayer one of the men pulled up a bar stool and sat down in front of the couple
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he began peppering them with questions asking if they knew of any visitors Kay might be expecting
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they told him K's wife Darla would be coming home soon the man looked unfazed and unsurprised
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to hear this then he asked if Roger and Pamela had any children and whether anyone was
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waiting for them to return home these questions made Roger and Pamela nervous it sounded like their lives were hanging
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in the balance depending on how they answered but something had shifted in the man's
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demeanor after hearing Roger pray he said they had decided to let the couple go he told them they should tell the police
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that three black men were responsible for the crime and Captain Rogers driver's license so he had his home
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address if Roger told the police the truth the man warned quote we will hurt your family
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Roger and Pamela told the sheriff's deputies about this script they had been told to follow and said that was why
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their 9-1-1 call had been odd they weren't sure whether to tell the truth or their attacker's story
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after the two men fled the property in the blue hatchback Roger and Pamela had waited about 45 minutes before removing
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their bindings they said they were scared that the men might come back Pamela said she had first wriggled out
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of the zip ties on her wrist then reached into Roger's pocket for his keys because he kept a pocket knife on his
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keychain she then used the knife to cut off Roger's tires and to the ones around
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their ankles once they were freed Pamela picked up a nearby phone to call 9-1-1 while Roger
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checked on his father first he looked out a window by the front door to make sure the intruder's
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car was gone then he locked the door and jammed a stick in another sliding glass
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door to prevent anyone from entering after this he finally headed upstairs Pamela was speaking to the 911 operator
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when Roger found his father's body in a small bathroom K was kneeling over the bathtub which
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had a sliding glass door as well as a deep slash to case throat he had been stabbed in the back of their
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neck the murder weapon a sharp kitchen knife with a Long blood-stained Blade was
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lying in the bathtub the knife had been taken from Kay's own kitchen Roger went back downstairs to tell
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Pamela that Kaye was dead and she passed this on to 9-1-1 before handing the phone to Roger
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responding officers noted that there was surprisingly little damage for a home invasion
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someone had gone to a great effort to keep the crime scene tidy even killing Kay over the bathtub to avoid spilling
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Blood on the floor forensic investigators couldn't recover any useful DNA or fingerprints from the
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house they believed that this indicated the perpetrators either had lots of time to
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clean up or there hadn't been much of a struggle at all Roger had told 9-1-1 that The Intruders
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must have targeted his father because he was rich this was backed up by something one of
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the men had supposedly told the couple stating that they were robbing K to support their families
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but Kay's valuables had been left behind mostly K Mortensen loved guns and spent a lot
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of money adding to his firearm collection in total he owned about 100 some of which were extremely valuable
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Kay's Firearms were scattered throughout the house but he kept about 20 in an outdoor underground concrete bunker that
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he'd built himself K was a survivalist who believed in self-protection and had built the bunker
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in case of an emergency it was stocked with everything hay and his wife Darla could ever need to
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survive food water weapons first aid supplies and even reading materials only his closest friends and family knew
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about the bunker investigators soon discovered that the shelves in the bunker were empty
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all of the Firearms he had stored down there were missing it didn't take long for investigators to
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grow suspicious something about Roger and Pamela's story wasn't adding up for them
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first of all the crime scene didn't add up Roger and Pamela had said the men Were
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Strangers but there was no sign of forced entry draws and safes throughout the house
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were left untouched it didn't look like the place had been ransacked as would be expected if random
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burglars were responsible nor did it look like any of the victims had put up a struggle
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it also seemed as though the man had somehow known about Kay's secret bunker the only Firearms stolen were the ones
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kept in there even though Kay's most valuable exclusive and antique guns were in his bedroom locked away in two
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separate safes the safes also held K's gold and silver coin collections as a survivalist who was mistrustful of
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the government Kaye had invested in these coins to ensure his wealth would remain during periods of potential
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disaster or economic downturn when a locksmith managed to open the safes up for law enforcement they saw
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that none of the coins or K's valuable guns had been stolen investigators thought the entire
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situation looked more like someone staging a burglary without wanting to actually lose any items of value
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other aspects of the scene also seemed strange Pamela had said she'd seen one of the
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men standing outside the living room window holding a broom but a fresh area of snow showed no signs
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of footprints or someone having swept in the vicinity there was evidence of a snowy patch
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having been swept on the north side of the house however Pamela wouldn't have been able
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to see this area if she'd been held hostage in the living room as she claims although Pamela had said she had cut off
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the majority of the couple's zip ties the discarded ties were intact and hadn't been cut
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Pamela claimed to have stretched the ones on her wrists to remove them but when investigators experimented with the
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tires they found the plastic was too hard to stretch nor were there any marks on the couple's
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wrists which would have been left by tight zip tires investigators suspected Pamela and Roger
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had secured the restraints Loosely to make it look as though they were taken hostage without actually being tied up
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the fact that Kay Mortensen had been murdered with a knife seemed vicious and personal not what you'd expect to see if
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he'd been killed by two strangers who were carrying a handgun as well as being a survivalist who was
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armed and on high alert to defend himself K had a black belt in karate he should have been able to fight back
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against Intruders who turned up at his home it seemed far more likely that he'd been
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targeted by people he knew and trusted when his guard was down finally investigators were struck by
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what they perceived as Roger and Pamela's strange demeanors both appeared calm and not in the least
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bit grief-stricken despite the grisly scene at Kay's home or their own supposed ordeal
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the details of their stories seemed to change and there were elements that were just plain odd like Roger saying he'd
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asked The Intruders if they could take their pecan pie and to leave why would he be thinking about the pecan
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pie in such a stressful situation the sheriff's deputies realized they needed to separate Roger and Pamela
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Mortensen then interview them individually they placed the couple in two different
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deputies cars in order to drive them down to the station one Deputy noticed Roger making eye
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contact with Pamela through their car windows he was grinning at his wife and gave her
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a thumbs up when he realized the deputy was watching him his smile immediately vanished and
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he put his hands in his lap Pamela still seemed calm and was chatty with the deputies who escorted her to
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the station she talked about her work and several television programs she was missing due
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to the evening's events during her interrogation detectives noted a complete absence of emotion when
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she discussed her deceased father-in-law they showed Pamela a photo lineup of possible suspects but she didn't
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recognize any one detective cut to the chase stating this story is a bunch of crap that you
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and Roger have come up with okay is your husband capable of killing somebody Pamela stammered slightly in her reply
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saying I wouldn't hope I mean I wouldn't think he is I wouldn't think that he's capable
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of killing his father I know we are in a lot of debt but we I personally would not have my
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father-in-law killed for his money while Roger was being driven to the Sheriff's Department he seemed relaxed
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and to eager to chat he asked lots of questions about the equipment in the deputy's car and was
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Keen to know how it all worked while waiting to be taken into an interview room he continued to talk
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telling deputies about his job and other random topics a couple of times he referred to his
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father's death but he didn't seem upset and never cried at one point he described his father as
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quote a cantankerous old fart sometimes he stood up to stretch explaining that he had an uncomfortable
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back injury Roger was quick to suggest possible suspects including a former student of
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his father's name to Mike who owed k money Kaye had taken some of Mike's Guns as
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collateral and was storing them in the bunker now they were all gone detectives quickly tracked Mike down and
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established that he had an airtight Alibi for the evening Mike also explained that K had bought
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the guns from him because he needed money some of the details in Roger's story changed during his interview
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he said the suspects had been wearing fuzzy blue women's gloves then he later said they hadn't been wearing gloves at
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all but for the most part his version of events stayed the same Roger again told the story of how the
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man had changed their minds about killing them after hearing him pray this struck investigators as
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particularly implausible it seemed absurd that the men would viciously kill Kay Mortensen In Cold
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Blood then allowed two witnesses to live they told Roger Mortensen as such and said they didn't believe what he and
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Pamela were saying Roger replied I'm sorry you don't believe me but then he trailed off
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he shrugs and rested his head in one hand before looking at one of the detectives and asking
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does it sound too rehearsed or the detective told him it did okay was all Roger said in reply
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[Music] looking into K mortonson's life investigators quickly realized he'd been
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a complex individual K had enjoyed a long career as a professor at Brigham Young University an
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LDS tertiary Institution he taught the subjects of engineering technology manufacturing Technology and
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Manufacturing design and was popular with his students they liked the way he told stories to
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capture their interest instead of just lecturing at them in addition to his successful career
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Kaye had made a number of financial investments over the years that had made him a multi-millionaire
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he was known to be generous with his wealth sharing it with those he loved a few people owed him money from
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substantial loans he'd given them but those who knew k said he hadn't been worried or pressured anyone to repay him
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at the same time K could rub some people the wrong way he was described as opinionated dogmatic
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stubborn and quick tempered sometimes he got into arguments about politics or religion and there was a
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number of failed relationships in his past Kay had been married and divorced twice
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before meeting dala he'd had a falling out with his sister regarding guardianship for their mother and
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disabled brother and Kaye had disowned one of his sons who held a long-standing grudge due to Kay not paying his child
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support or funding his college education detectives also learned about a disagreement Kay had with a former
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business partner and a particularly troubling dispute with a neighbor three and a half years earlier in May
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2006 K's neighbor Cindy led her pet Great Dane out of its kennel just as Kaye was driving past the property
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according to Cindy the dog had started barking at k in response Kaye had stopped his car and
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shot the dog dead K claimed that the Great Dane had attacked him and he only shot it in
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self-defense he was subsequently charged with animal cruelty and discharging a firearm from a
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vehicle he pleaded not guilty to both charges and eventually beat the case despite these disputes throughout Kay's
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past investigators quickly concluded that they'd had nothing to do with his murder
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in addition to questioning his son Roger and a daughter-in-law Pamela detectives
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made interviewing Kay's wife Darla a top priority on the evening of Monday November 16
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Darla Mortensen was driving home to the Payson Canyon property when she received
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a call from a neighbor he'd notice the commotion at the Mortensen residence with the sheriff's
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deputies descending on the property Dallas first thought was that her husband K must have shot a wood Bay
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burglar he had always told her that if anyone tried to break into his property he
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would kill them Darla knew just how prepared he was for any kind of attack scared and panicked she called a friend
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and asked them to meet her at the property when Darla and her friend arrived at Payson Canyon they found that law
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enforcement had blocked off the street Darla made her way to the nearest officer and explained the situation
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she was taken to a command post that had been set up at the bottom of the hill that led to her home
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Darla was informed that her husband hadn't killed an intruder as she'd expected instead he was the victim of an attack
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dala looked a grave stricken detectives noted that her open distress was markedly different to how Kay's son
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Roger had appeared according to those who knew Kay and tadala their love had been deep and
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tadala had a calming effect on her husband prior to getting married she had agreed
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to sign a prenuptial agreement so Kay could protect his financial assets dala told detectives that K had always
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been paranoid when it came to his personal safety he carried a gun with him at all times
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and would insist they enter their homes via the garage instead of the front door
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the fact that he could have been caught off guard by Intruders struck her as very unlikely
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after listening to audio of Roger and Pamela mortensen's police interviews Darla told the detectives that she was
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concerned they might be involved investigators spoke to other members of the Mortensen family
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some mentioned that during Roger's childhood he might have experienced physical and emotional abuse at Kay's
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hands it turned out that Roger also had a criminal record during his adult years he had struggled
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with substance abuse becoming addicted to cannabis and cocaine it also sounded like he had a temper
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13 years earlier in 1996 a driver was taking some Boy Scouts on an Excursion through American Fork Canyon when Roger
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Mortensen passed by them in an all-terrain vehicle for some reason he became very agitated
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stopped his ATV and pulled out a handgun he began waving it at the other driver who quickly continued on to escape him
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they reported the incident to authorities who tracked Roger down and found both the gun and a cannabis pipe
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in his possession he also had a radar unit that had been stolen from Utah Highway Patrol valued
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at four thousand dollars Roger was charged with aggravated assault drug possession and receiving
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stolen property he played it at no contest and his charges were reduced resulting in him
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receiving probation the following year Roger helped a friend steal dozens of tools from a hardware
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store Roger had also been married three times prior to meeting Pamela in 1999 Roger and his then wife sought
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protective orders against each other according to Roger's wife he had started claiming he could see the devil
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she also said that he abused cannabis and alcohol frequently and was physically violent throwing her against
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a wall into slapping her Raja said in his own protective order application that she was lying about
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these assaults the orders were granted but Roger was later convicted of violating it when he
00:31:05
made harassing phone calls to his wife a judge ordered Roger to attend to anger management classes and the couple
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ultimately divorced Roger's father Kay had been there during his son's struggles he would bail him
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out when he needed it and helped Roger stop using drugs the pair bonded over their love of
00:31:29
firearms and would trade guns together Roger said that he and his dad had been best friends quote
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as best friends as you can be with a grumpy old man [Music] shortly after Kay's murder detectives
00:31:48
learned that Roger had gone to a bank where Kaye had kept a security box that contained more than eight hundred
00:31:54
thousand dollars worth of gold and silver Roger had tried to access the security
00:32:00
box but wasn't allowed the case investigators couldn't understand why Roger would do such a
00:32:07
thing so soon after his father's murder as especially as he had siblings who were also entitled to Kay's estate
00:32:14
[Music] Roger's interest in his father's wealth looked like a clear motive to the police
00:32:21
Kaye had put most of his money into a trust for his children to receive one day and Roger was set to inherit a
00:32:27
fortune in the event of his father's death they froze and seized Kay's assets investigators searched to Roger and
00:32:38
Pamela's home scattered throughout the house detectives noticed a number of letters
00:32:44
that turned out to be collection notices and unsent mortgage repayment forms it seemed the couple owed thousands of
00:32:52
dollars and were in financial trouble this was consistent with Pamela's remark about being in debt during her police
00:33:00
interview detectives noticed some sawdust on the floor beneath a heating furnace with a
00:33:08
wood panel it looked as though someone had recently been meddling with the panel
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they removed it and found a 12 gauge shotgun and an AK-47 stashed behind the furnace along with several thousand
00:33:22
rounds of ammunition Roger Mortensen wasn't permitted to wound guns due to his previous
00:33:28
convictions believing these could be the firearms that had been stolen from K mortonson's
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bunker the detectives took them in for examination in the garage detectives found a safe
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with the 22 caliber revolver inside there were also two round plastic containers in the garage that were
00:33:50
filled with cannabis possessing cannabis for any purpose was illegal in Utah at the time and Roger's
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criminal record meant he was committing a felony Roger mortensen's green Jeep was also
00:34:04
taken for processing detectives took Roger back to his father's house and asked him to take
00:34:11
them through the events of the attack they noted that during the walkthrough Roger seemed very keen to go upstairs
00:34:19
and to check everything was still there as the bathroom hadn't been cleaned and was still stained with Kay's blood
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investigators found this odd it didn't seem right that Kay's son would want to go near the spot where his
00:34:34
father had been murdered Roger repeatedly referred to the two perpetrators as gentlemen which also
00:34:41
seemed strange the decision was made to give Roger and Pamela polygraph tests although the results from these tests
00:34:50
wouldn't be permissible in a court of law detectives wanted to measure the couple's responses to being asked
00:34:56
directly if they had killed Kaye the polygraph examiner suspected Pamela was using countermeasures like breathing
00:35:04
differently to beat the test ultimately her results were inconclusive when Roger was tested he became
00:35:14
extremely animated and suddenly turned to The Examiner saying I know how my father was murdered
00:35:22
then he got down on his hands and knees to pose in the position his father had been in before making the motion of a
00:35:28
knife across his throat Not only was his reenactment descriptive and disturbing it matched the autopsy
00:35:37
findings to a T Roger's results indicated he had failed his polygraph test detectives believed he was being
00:35:50
deceptive when he said he did nothing to do with his father's murder it was clear to them that Roger and
00:35:57
Pamela had a financial motive and both had been behaving suspiciously from the beginning
00:36:04
detectives weren't the only ones who suspected Roger and Pamela Kay mortensen's Wife Darla had voiced
00:36:12
her concerns K sister Fern didn't think Roger was personally capable of killing his father
00:36:18
but she did believe he might know people who would be willing to do it for him two months after the murder in January
00:36:28
2010 the Utah County Sheriff's Office went public and openly named the couple as Persons of Interest in the case
00:36:36
they also shared the audio from Pamela's 9-1-1 call with the media a spokesperson from the sheriff's
00:36:44
department explained that the couple had provided inconsistent information and also refused to help create a suspect
00:36:51
sketch of the man they claimed were responsible in the face of the media Spotlight Roger
00:36:58
and Pamela continued to assert their innocence and despite all the suspicion against
00:37:04
them there was no physical evidence tying them to the crime the guns recovered from their home
00:37:12
hadn't been the same one stolen from Kay's bunker the case stalled for another six months
00:37:21
then in July 2010 the Utah County prosecutor decided to convene a grand jury this would allow them to share the
00:37:30
evidence they did have with some witnesses who would then decide whether there was enough to go to trial
00:37:38
the grand jury was Kept Secret from the public and the media 16 jurors were presented with evidence
00:37:45
from detectives prosecutors members of the Mortons and family and some of Pamela's colleagues
00:37:52
Roger and Pamela weren't informed of the proceedings and to no defense case was presented
00:37:59
on Thursday July 29 2010 the grand jury left to deliberate it took them just over an hour to come
00:38:09
to a conclusion they voted in favor of the couple being indicted for Kane lawtonson's murder
00:38:17
foreign week later on the evening of Thursday August 5 Roger and Pamela Mortensen
00:38:25
learned of the indictment when police arrived at their home both were arrested and charged with
00:38:31
murder and obstruction of justice they were transferred to the Utah County Jail where they would remain until it
00:38:40
was time for their trial Rachel Bingham was growing increasingly concerned about reports she was seeing
00:39:00
on the news as a resident of Vernal Utah Rachel lived about a three hours drive from K
00:39:07
mortensen's residence but the story of the professor's murder was still major local news
00:39:14
for months Rachel who was in her early twenties had been keeping an awful Secret
00:39:20
and now she was seeing the consequences of not telling anyone what she knew Rachel had married when she was just 18
00:39:28
years old her husband Martin Bond had initially pursued a career in the military before he was discharged and
00:39:36
enrolled at Utah State University the young couple had a son together but their marriage didn't work out
00:39:44
by early 2010 Rachel Bingham and Martin Bond were divorced however they remained
00:39:51
good friends in March 2010 not long after their divorce was finalized the Now 23 year
00:39:58
old Bond confided something in his ex-wife Martin Bond had known murder victim K
00:40:06
Mortensen as his father was one of Kay's longtime friends the two men had trained together in an
00:40:13
emergency response program developing a close friendship as a child Bond had even visited Kay's
00:40:21
home in Payson Bond told Rachel that five months earlier on Monday November 16 2009 he
00:40:30
and his childhood friend Benjamin reddig had driven to Kay's pace and residence they went armed with the zip ties and a
00:40:39
latex gloves and the intention to steal Kay's guns Martin bond to needed money and because
00:40:46
he knew Kay Mortensen he was aware that the elderly man had a valuable gun collection
00:40:53
Martin Bond knocked on Kay's front door as Benjamin reddig stood behind him when Kaye opened at the door he
00:41:01
immediately recognized Bond and invited both men inside once they were indoors radig and bond
00:41:08
pulled a 40 caliber handgun on K and demanded he restrained himself with the zip ties
00:41:15
K was reluctant but didn't struggle and ultimately did as they asked the pair then demanded K take them to
00:41:24
where he kept his guns K retrieved the key that led to his underground bunker and opened it up at
00:41:30
gunpoint K indicated where the Firearms were located on the Bunker's shelves and the
00:41:37
men then took Kay back inside the house familiar with the home's layout Martin Bond forced to K up the stairs and into
00:41:46
a first floor bathroom he slid open the glass door on the bathtub before making K kneel over it
00:41:54
Bond zip tied case feet together to prevent him from kicking out in self-defense
00:42:00
he told his ex-wife Rachel that while he stood watch over K Benjamin reddig used
00:42:06
a butcher knife taken from Kay's kitchen to slash K's throat ready get then stabbed K deep in the
00:42:14
back of his neck before dropping the knife in the tub almost immediately after Kaye was
00:42:25
murdered the doorbell rang Benjamin reddig hid behind the front door holding the handgun while Martin
00:42:32
Bond opened the door Roger and Pamela Mortensen were standing there with a pecan pie
00:42:41
after bond to let them inside Reddick emerged with the gun and ordered the couple into the living room
00:42:48
they took the couple hostage restraining them with the zip ties as they'd done decay
00:42:55
while Roger and Pamela were left alone and terrified for up to 45 minutes Reddick kept a watch over the couple
00:43:03
meanwhile Bond tempted the bunker of its 25 guns and ammunition loading them into
00:43:09
his blue hatchback that was parked in Kay's driveway Martin Bond didn't tell his ex-wife
00:43:16
Rachel why he and Reddick had allowed the couple to live but he did tell her how they'd come up with a story that
00:43:23
Roger and Pamela should tell the police that three black men were responsible for the crime
00:43:30
if they didn't tell this story Bond and Reddick said they would kill them and to
00:43:35
their families Bond told Rachel that he and Reddick had buried the gun somewhere in the desert
00:43:42
near Vernal where they lived but now he wanted to move them he was nervous that Reddick might go to
00:43:49
the police to confess and he didn't want any evidence of their crime to be found
00:43:53
[Music] Bond asked Rachel if she would help reluctantly Rachel agreed she hired a U-Haul on the morning of
00:44:03
Wednesday March 31 2010 a little over four months after Kay's murder she then headed out to the desert with
00:44:12
Bond and their young son Bond retrieved Kay's guns and put them in the U-Haul then they drove to a
00:44:19
nearby park it was a spacious park with wooded areas numerous walking trails and a giant
00:44:27
Cliff face 100 feet high Rachel watched the couple's son and made a fire while Bond found a spot to
00:44:36
re-berry the guns he chose the secluded wooded area Rachel also took some snapshots of The
00:44:43
Cliff face that day as well as a few of bond standing next to the rented U-Haul for months Rachel Bingham kept her
00:44:53
ex-husband sacred she saw some news stories about Kay's son and a daughter-in-law being
00:44:58
suspected of the crime though nothing about them being arrested Rachel tried blocking out the Terrible
00:45:06
Things Bond had told her but by late 2010 she couldn't keep what she knew to herself anymore
00:45:14
she confided in a friend who in turn told her that Roger and Pamela Mortensen had since been charged with the crime
00:45:22
Rachel checked the news and saw that this was true horrified at the thought that two
00:45:29
innocent people might serve a life sentences for a murder her ex-husband had committed Rachel decided to tell the
00:45:36
truth on Sunday December 5 2010 four months since Roger and Pamela Mortensen had
00:45:45
been sent to County Jail Rachel Bingham called the police during an in-person interview that was
00:45:53
recorded Rachel told detectives everything that Martin Bond had told her she cried as she said how the prospect
00:46:00
of the mortensen's going to prison had prompted her to come forward Rachel's story matched numerous details
00:46:09
from the Mortensen statements that had not been public and seemed to verify their claims
00:46:15
Martin Bond and Benjamin reddig were almost exactly as Roger and Pamela had described
00:46:21
they were white and in their early twenties with short dark hair and some facial hair
00:46:27
both were of average height at five foot ten and weighed 165 pounds Rachel also told the police that Bond
00:46:37
hadn't buried all of Kay's guns she had seen some of them still lying around his
00:46:42
house investigators obtained a warrant to search Martin Bond's home Bond told them he had nothing to do with
00:46:52
the crime but couldn't stop them from executing the search warrant while going through his home and a
00:46:58
nearby shed detectives found between five to seven guns that matched one stolen from K Mortensen
00:47:06
most of them had the serial numbers scratched off with the exception of one rifle
00:47:11
when investigators checked its serial number they confirmed that the rifle had belonged to K Mortensen
00:47:20
presented with this evidence Martin Bond changed his story he had admitted that he had been
00:47:27
involved and told the detectives the same story he had told Rachel he then took them to the location where
00:47:34
he'd buried the remaining guns it was a wooded area about 10 feet from a parking lot within the large Park
00:47:42
Rachel Bingham had described detectives recovered more firearms from this buried weapons cache
00:47:50
Bond was adamant that he hadn't been the one to actually kill Kaye he had stood over K with a gun while Benjamin Reddick
00:47:58
repeatedly slashed his throat and stabbed him it appeared that Kaye had deliberately
00:48:04
taken his attackers to the bunker because that was where his least expensive weapons were kept
00:48:11
he hadn't told them about the more valuable ones he kept upstairs in a safe Bond and Reddick had seemingly taken k
00:48:20
at face value not thinking to search elsewhere in the property for other things to steal
00:48:25
when Benjamin reddig's home was searched police found Roger mortensen's driver's
00:48:31
license in his possession the couple had told police how the attackers had stolen Roger's license so
00:48:38
they'd have access to his address two days after Rachel first went to the police detectives arrested both men for
00:48:48
aggravated murder aggravated burglary and three counts of aggravated kidnapping they were booked into the Utah County
00:48:56
Jail it was the same place where Roger and Pamela Mortensen had spent the past four
00:49:07
months awaiting their trial when Rogers attorney informed him of the new development in the case Roger began
00:49:15
crying the day after Bond and Reddick were arrested prosecutors moved to drop all
00:49:22
charges against Roger and Pamela the couple appeared happy and smiling as the indictment was officially dismissed
00:49:30
in court they declined to speak to the media but rudger's attorney spoke on his behalf
00:49:37
stating hay and I are both just elated and ecstatic about this new development I would suspect that a few things in
00:49:46
life are as liberating as being proven innocent on something that everybody believes you did especially something
00:49:54
like murder they've maintained the story the entire time and it's all been true Pamela mortensen's lawyer said
00:50:05
I think there is some relief from Pam I think that she always felt that the truth would come out every day that she
00:50:13
sat in jail is a day of her life that was wasted and that she can never get back
00:50:19
[Music] members of the couple's family openly expressed to their relief at the news
00:50:27
K's Widow dollar told reporters that she was shocked by the development but incredibly relieved to know her stepson
00:50:34
had nothing to do with his father's murder when police had first floated the idea
00:50:41
that they could be responsible ndala couldn't believe it but then the investigators played
00:50:47
recordings of their interviews for her the couple's unusual demeanors led to Darla starting to suspect that they
00:50:55
might have been involved [Music] the relief that Roger and Pamela's relatives felt wasn't enough to undo
00:51:05
some of the damage that had been done over the past year the fact that some of their friends and
00:51:12
people within Rogers family had believed they were guilty had created significant
00:51:17
tension and tested relationships when the couple were first charged Pamela's family hired an attorney for
00:51:25
her but Roger's relatives were less enthusiastic about funding his defense according to the television program
00:51:33
Dateline when a friend of the couple asked Roger's sister Julie if they could use money from Kay's multi-million
00:51:40
dollar estate to retain a lawyer for Roger she refused Julie told a dateline this was because
00:51:47
the family's attorney had advised against giving Roger money Roger had to use a public defender
00:51:54
instead Kay's sister Fern had previously believed it might have been possible that Roger hired people to kill her
00:52:03
brother all those she was happy to be proven wrong she was left with the regret for
00:52:09
not believing her nephew and to the experience changed her outlook on life family members and investigators alike
00:52:18
had partly been suspicious of Roger and Pamela because some of their behavior immediately following the attack was
00:52:24
seen as odd when Pamela called 9-1-1 after escaping from her zip ties she came across as
00:52:32
vague and unwilling to help the operator by providing information this was because she wasn't sure if she
00:52:39
should tell the truth of what happened or the fake story that the attackers had ordered them to tell
00:52:46
detectives had been suspicious of how calm Pamela seemed in the aftermath of the attack but she said that was her
00:52:53
natural personality she wasn't the type to become visibly emotional Pamela also believed she had likely been
00:53:01
in shock at the time during Roger's interviews with detectives he had said and done some
00:53:09
things that they thought were strange this included asking them if they thought his and Pamela's statement
00:53:15
sounded quote too rehearsed but there was a reason for this years earlier Roger had accidentally
00:53:25
driven his ATV off a cliff he'd suffered a serious brain injury and almost had died
00:53:31
although he recovered the injury caused significant trauma to his frontal lobe and Roger was no longer able to work
00:53:39
he relied on disability payments instead after the accident elements of Roger's personality changed
00:53:49
he struggled with his short-term memory and stress caused him to become forgetful
00:53:54
he could also be impulsive or act as though he had no emotion or filter these are common consequences of a
00:54:03
frontal lobe injury the grand jury that had voted to win diet Roger and Pamela had not been told
00:54:09
about Roger's injury investigators had told the grand jury that the couple hadn't provided clear
00:54:18
and consistent descriptions of the men who attacked them but a review of their statements proved
00:54:24
this was false the couple's level of debt had also been exaggerated detectives had given evidence that they
00:54:33
found several stacks of collection notices around their home which were about eight or nine inches high
00:54:39
in fact the couple only had a three or four collection notices at the time amounting to between three and eight
00:54:46
thousand dollars these included medical and to dental bills the couple hadn't been behind on their
00:54:55
mortgage payments the reason there were run sent mortgage repayment forms lying around their house
00:55:01
was because they had recently switched to making payments online investigators had told Roger and Pamela
00:55:09
that their descriptions of the attack sounded too similar and rehearsed yet they also pointed to discrepancies
00:55:16
in their stories as indicators of guilt these discrepancies were minor such as the couple describing the men's gloves
00:55:24
as different colors mistakes in recollecting details such as this aren't uncommon after suffering a
00:55:31
traumatic experience the couple were accused of having refused to help create a sketch of the
00:55:38
Suspects in fact they had been at the sheriff's department with their attorney to
00:55:43
provide fingerprints and DNA samples when investigators unexpectedly brought out a sketch artist
00:55:51
because their attorney had another appointment in court they were unable to stay and work with the sketch artist at
00:55:57
that time the attorney asked if they could complete the sketch another time but the
00:56:03
police never followed up it also emerged that early in the investigation detectives had been
00:56:13
contacted by a woman who said she had witnessed the murder in a dream the woman had been using methamphetamine
00:56:21
at the time and had a very Vivid dream in which she saw her boyfriend murder Kay Mortensen in his bathroom
00:56:28
a second woman was present on a nearby staircase and was crying during the murder
00:56:34
she was accompanied by a man detectives wondered if the man and woman watching on during the murder could have
00:56:42
been Roger and Pamela they showed the woman a photo lineup of suspects with Roger's picture included
00:56:51
they asked her to identify the Killer and she pointed directly at Roger despite the fact that this woman was
00:56:59
reporting a dream she'd had while under the influence of recreational drugs detectives had treated this as a serious
00:57:07
tip-off it had further bolstered their early suspicions that Roger and Pamela Mortensen Were Somehow involved
00:57:17
after Martin Bond and Benjamin reddig were charged with Kay's murder reddick's attorney soon helped him negotiate a
00:57:24
plea agreement with prosecutors the agreement would say ready complete guilty to aggravated murder and to just
00:57:32
one can of aggravated kidnapping in exchange the prosecutors would drop the other charges and wouldn't seek the
00:57:40
death penalty in his case they would even recommend the possibility of parole one day when it
00:57:47
came to sentencing part of reddig's play agreement required him to make a full and honest confession
00:57:54
and to testify against the bond when it came time for his trial the plan to Rob AK Mortensen hadn't been
00:58:02
a long time in the making Reddick said that he'd first heard of Bond's idea when Bond called him on the
00:58:09
day of the crime Reddick had gone over to Bond's home and things escalated from there
00:58:17
red egg's version of events differed somewhat from bonds while Bond said his friend was
00:58:24
responsible for killing Kaye Reddick said it was the other way around after zip tying Kay's ankles in the
00:58:31
bathroom Bond had gone downstairs to the kitchen and returned with a butcher knife
00:58:37
radig had been the one holding the handgun the entire time he'd been standing in the bathroom with
00:58:44
the gun while Bond repeatedly sliced Kay's throat then stabbed him according to Reddick Bond had also
00:58:52
wanted to kill Roger and Pamela after the couple were first restrained Bond had gone back to the kitchen and
00:59:00
found a second knife but this time Reddick intervened stepping between bonds and their couple
00:59:07
and telling Bond not to kill them as Martin Bond was pleading not guilty and going to trial reddig's version of
00:59:16
events would be heard in court when he testified against his longtime friend [Music]
00:59:25
Benjamin reddig officially pleaded guilty in June 2011. he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and ordered
00:59:34
to pay two fines of ten thousand dollars each the judge also ordered Reddick to pay
00:59:40
restitution amounting to ten and a half thousand dollars in a brief statement to the court
00:59:46
Reddick apologized the multiple times for his role in Kay's murder Martin Bond's trial began years later in
00:59:56
January 2013. his ex-wife Rachel Bingham was a star witness and cried as she testified from
01:00:03
the witness box Benjamin reddig was set to Bay another K Witness he was brought into the courtroom
01:00:12
wearing a white prison jumpsuit Reddick was asked about his childhood and his friendship with Martin Bond
01:00:20
he answered these questions openly then he was asked about the events of Monday November 16 2009.
01:00:30
Reddick said he'd been at the restaurant where he worked when he received a call
01:00:34
from Bond asking him to come over when the prosecutor asked what happened next Reddick paused then replied
01:00:43
I know it was in the agreement too and everyone expects me to but I would feel more comfortable stopping right now
01:00:53
the prosecutor tried asking more questions but Reddick refused to answer them quietly telling the court he was
01:01:00
refusing to testify the prosecution and Kay mortensen's family were deeply disappointed by
01:01:08
reddick's refusal especially as it had been negotiated as part of his play deal Bond's defense were claiming the entire
01:01:17
attack had been reading's idea they said Bond had reluctantly agreed to Rob Kay's property but only if Kaye
01:01:26
wasn't home Bond considered k a close friend and didn't want to harm him if the pair arrived at Kay's residence
01:01:35
and found he was there Bond insisted that they would just say hello and to leave
01:01:41
he said that somehow the entire thing had just gotten out of hand according to bond and his attorney redig
01:01:49
was also solely responsible for Kay's murder Redding going back on his deal with
01:01:55
prosecutors wouldn't impact his conviction but it would be passed along to the parole board to review when he is
01:02:02
able to apply for parole since they were arrested Bond and Reddick Had Each accused the other of
01:02:10
killing k the prosecution had been relying on Reddick to prove their case against Bond
01:02:17
but they did have another witness willing to testify that Bond was the Killer in 2011 Martin Bond had been caught
01:02:26
passing notes with another inmate at the Utah County Jail the other inmate was a 21 year old
01:02:32
awaiting trial for robbing a credit union the two would communicate by typing handwritten notes to a shoestring and
01:02:40
tossing it between their cells one night the 21 year old inmate asked a bond why he was placing all the blame
01:02:48
for Kay's murder on his childhood friend in response Bond wrote well Ben made the situation when Kay and
01:03:00
I tried to talk to him he freaked out more and a bunch of other happened it came to the point where Ben was going
01:03:07
to kill him but he made me instead it was that or he said he'll shoot me so that no one could say anything
01:03:16
that's why Kay's throat was cut Ben wouldn't give me the gun I thought he was suffering so that's why
01:03:23
I stabbed him the younger inmate came forward with the notes in exchange for a better plea deal
01:03:31
in his own case a handwriting expert from the Salt Lake County Police Department said that the
01:03:38
note was written in Nate cursive and was a match to Bond's handwriting a former friend of Martin bonds said
01:03:47
that over the years Bond had occasionally discussed how he would murder a person if he ever had to
01:03:54
he would talk about slicing throats the friend said that's how he would do it slicing throats
01:04:04
the Utah County attorney also argued that Bond was the one with a motive to kill K not Reddick
01:04:11
Kay knew who Bond was but had never seen red egg before it made sense that Bond would want to
01:04:18
cover his tracks by murdering a victim who could identify him Roger and Pamela Mortensen testified at
01:04:27
length about their ordeal at the hands of bond and Reddick now that they knew the names of their
01:04:33
attackers they could provide more information about how each man had behaved Pamela said it was Bond who did most of
01:04:41
the talking and seemed to be in charge Reddy had been quieter and was the one who had told the couple K was restrained
01:04:49
upstairs Pamela told the court how terrified she had been quote it was a very scary situation I didn't
01:05:00
know if I was going to make it out of that house that night three days after the trial began the
01:05:07
jury left to deliberate it took them five hours to find Martin Bond guilty of aggravated murder
01:05:15
burglary and robbery and three counts of aggravated kidnapping he was sentenced to life in prison
01:05:22
without the possibility of parole [Music] Roger and Pamela spoke openly about the
01:05:34
devastating consequences the crime had on them they had lost a loved one in terrible circumstances and were also
01:05:41
victims of kidnapping being taken hostage into believing they would be murdered had been a traumatic
01:05:48
experience then they were arrested and charged with the very crime they were victims of
01:05:54
losing months of their lives in the process addressing Martin Bond directly during
01:06:01
his sentencing Roger stated because of your actions my wife and I were blamed for a crime we did not
01:06:09
commit we spent four and a half months in jail our relationships with family and
01:06:16
friends were destroyed my wife lost her job our vehicles were repossessed our reputations were ruined in our church
01:06:24
and in our community while you watched it happen and bragged about it Roger and Pamela filed a civil lawsuit
01:06:33
against those responsible for their arrest arguing that the prosecutors and detectives had Allied to the grand jury
01:06:41
but a few months after their suit was filed the U.S Supreme Court ruled that grand jury prosecutors and Witnesses
01:06:48
were immune from civil litigation consequently the couple's lawsuit was dismissed
01:06:56
they had no further recourse for restitution or compensation Deputy Utah County attorney Tim Taylor
01:07:05
has said that although investigators made a mistake in arresting the couple it was their arrests that led to the
01:07:12
truth coming out Taylor told the Salt Lake Tribune that he and other members of the prosecution
01:07:18
team quote feel bad about Pamela and Roger mortensen's arrests but in the long run
01:07:25
things turned out okay in the words of K Morton's and sister Fern his murder and the events that
01:07:35
followed permanently damaged Kay's loved ones in court she stated our family was left with a gaping hole
01:07:46
irreparable damage was done and will never be repaired [Music] at the time of Kay's murder he was just
01:07:54
getting started on enjoying his retirement he had only recently married his wife
01:08:00
Darla whom he was deeply devoted to dala described to their relationship as being like that of teenagers newly in
01:08:08
love it had been a while since either of them had been in a loving relationship and
01:08:14
they were thrilled to have found each other hay and adala were wealthy and happy and
01:08:20
excited to spend the rest of their lives having fun together the pair had completed a church mission
01:08:27
gone on a cruise to Hawaii enrolled in dance classes and had lots of other plans for their golden years
01:08:35
all of that abruptly ended when Martin Bond turned to Benjamin reddig decided to rob a k
01:08:42
in Darla's words she had been left all alone by their actions and to the lives of K sun and a daughter-in-law were
01:08:50
shattered all for a few guns [Music] foreign [Music]