Michael Archuleta was sentenced to death and is on Utah Death Row for a sexual assault and murder
According to court documents Michael Archuleta and Lance Wood would pick up Gordon Ray Church, at a gas station on November 21, 1988 The two men would drive Church to a remote location where he was a sexually assaulted, tortured and beaten to death with a tire jack
Michael Archuleta and Lance Wood be arrested
Lance Wood would be convicted and sentenced to life in prison
Michael Archuleta would be sentenced to death
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Michael Archuleta FAQ
Where Is Michael Archuleta Now
Michael Archuleta is incarcerated at Utah State Prison
When Is Michael Archuleta Execution
Michael Archuleta execution has yet to be scheduled
Michael Archuleta Case
On November 21, 1988, Michael Archuleta was living in an apartment in Cedar City, Utah, with co-defendant Wood and their girl-friends, Paula Jones and Brenda Stapley. Defendant, who was on parole at the time, had returned to Cedar City from Arizona, where he was living pursuant to his parole agreement. He left Arizona without permission from his parole officer in Utah County, precipitating issuance of a parole warrant for his arrest.
While in Cedar City, defendant contacted his parole officer, who gave him permission to stay there for one week to look for a job. However, a parole officer from Cedar City discovered that defendant was living with Wood, also a parolee, and was therefore again in violation of parole guidelines. The two parole officers spoke, and the Cedar City officer decided to execute a “parole hold” for defendant.[4] On November 22, 1988, Cedar City authorities went to the apartment where defendant was living, but failed to locate him.
On the evening of November 21, defendant and Wood went to the 7-Eleven store in Cedar City, where they first met Church. The three men decided to “cruise” the town’s main street in Church’s car. While thus engaged, they met two young women whom they stopped and spoke with for a short time. The women both testified at defendant’s trial, placing defendant and Wood with Church before the murder.
Later in the evening, the three men drove to a secluded area in nearby Cedar Canyon. Church informed defendant that he was a homosexual. It is unclear exactly what happened next. Either Church or defendant offered to engage in anal sex. Defendant placed a condom on his penis and began to have anal sex with Church. Defendant then changed his mind and stopped. Shortly thereafter, Wood began to attack Church. He chased Church and tackled him to the ground, breaking Church’s arm in the process. Wood pulled out a knife and cut Church across the throat, producing a superficial wound in the shape of an “x.”
Defendant and Wood bound Church with tire chains and a bungee cord. They placed him in the trunk of the car, drove through Cedar City, and headed north on Interstate 15 toward Salt Lake City. After driving approximately 76 miles with Church in the trunk of the car, defendant and Wood pulled off the highway in a secluded area known as “Dog Valley.” After removing Church from the trunk, they attached battery cables to Church’s testicles and to the car battery. They beat Church severely on the head with a tire jack and tire iron. Then they inserted the tire iron into Church’s rectum, forcing it eighteen inches into his body and puncturing his liver.[5]
When Church was apparently dead, defendant and Wood dragged his body up a hillside and attempted to cover the body with tree branches and dirt. The two men drove Church’s car to Salt Lake City in the early morning hours of November 22 and abandoned it there. While in Salt Lake City, they visited several people. Defendant had a good deal of blood on his pants, and he and Wood told the people they met that they had been hunting and skinning rabbits. The two men hitchhiked back to Cedar City that same day.
*1237 That evening, Wood contacted authorities and informed them of his and defendant’s participation in the murder. After Wood’s confession, defendant was arrested at the Cedar City apartment on the parole hold.
After his arrest, defendant gave four separate statements about the murder to law enforcement officers. The trial court denied his motion to suppress the statements, finding that they were voluntarily and knowingly given pursuant to defendant’s valid waiver of his Miranda[6] rights and his privilege against self-incrimination.
https://law.justia.com/cases/utah/supreme-court/1993/900041.html
