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Two decades after a Utah stabbing death, DNA evidence leads to an arrest

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Two decades after a Utah stabbing death, DNA evidence leads to an arrest


DNA evidence led to an arrest in Utah in a fatal 2005 stabbing that went unsolved for almost 20 years, the Salt Lake County sheriff announced.

Mark Munoz, 53, was arrested Thursday on a murder charge in the killing of Jason Royter, who was found dead from stab wounds in his home in Magna on Aug. 6, 2005, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

The break in the case came when Munoz, described as someone homeless who moves around a lot, was accused of committing a crime in another state and had a DNA sample entered into an index system, Sheriff’s Detective Ben Pendern said.

From left, Niki Price, Andrew Royter and Stephani Perschon address the media in South Salt Lake, Utah, on Friday after an arrest was made in the Jason Royter cold case.Salt Lake City County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook

“These kinds of cases take a toll on families, and this family has not given up,” Sheriff Rosie Rivera said at a news conference. “We don’t give up, either.”

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Royter was a 33-year-old father of two when his girlfriend discovered him dead, officials said. The case went cold after about 10 years, and the tips stopped coming in.

Royter’s son, Andrew Royter, was 12 when his father was killed. At a news conference last week, he said learning in a phone call Thursday that an arrest had been made felt like a giant weight lifting off his chest.

“I used to be an angry person,” he said. “After last night, I feel like I had 10 years of therapy hit me all at once. I just feel so much better.”

Andrew Royter remembered his father and the music they shared, in particular the band Alien Ant Farm. He was introduced to the music by his father, and it still occupies a place in his heart.

“He was a great person, a great father, a great brother, uncle, son — you name it,” Andrew Royter said.

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The hit on the DNA sample from Munoz that allegedly connects him to the killing came in last year. Authorities did not disclose what steps were then taken because of the ongoing investigation, but they said that Munoz did not have a stable address and that he was difficult to find.

A criminal case in the slaying did not appear to be in online court records Monday night, and it was not clear whether Munoz had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The case remains an active investigation, Rivera said, and more evidence is being sought. She asked that anyone who remembers Munoz or the day the killing happened to contact authorities.

“As of right now, we don’t have a real motive. Mr. Munoz was not willing to speak to us,” Rivera said. “So he knows what happened; we don’t.”



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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president


Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.



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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods


BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

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An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.





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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months


EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

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When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

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In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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