A Salt Lake man serving time in prison for aggravated assault has been arraigned on charges he murdered a Salt Lake man a year ago.
Dennis Garner, 18, is charged with second-degree murder. Third Circuit Judge Michael Hutchings scheduled a preliminary hearing for Nov. 8.Garner is accused of killing Boyd Burke, 53, whose body was discovered Oct. 9, 1988, in the basement of his home, 944 S. Grace Court (425 East). An autopsy determined Burke had suffered a severe beating about the head, possibly with a hammer or a bottle, and had been choked with a ligature.
According to the charges and Salt Lake police detectives, Garner had consumed drugs and alcohol with Burke the night before. The following day, Burke apparently caught Garner burglarizing his home, said detective John Johnson.
Neighbors who discovered the body said the house was in disarray. "There was food scattered all over. There were broken lamps. The coffee table was broken. It was just generally all mucked up," one of the neighbors told the Deseret News.