The man police say beat Lee Lundskog to death outside a 7-Eleven store has been charged with murder.
Adrian Whitfield Gordon was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony. On Sept. 29, Gordon beat Lundskog, 50, outside 7-Eleven, 1285 N. Redwood Road, charges state.
Salt Lake City homicide detectives also questioned Gordon, 20, in connection with the Sept. 6 slaying of a convenience store clerk at the Sunshine Market, 1845 S. 700 East, Sgt. Fred Louis said.
After their interview, police determined Gordon was not a suspect in that slaying, Louis said.
During the interview, however, Gordon did say he was the same person shown on surveillance video using a phone inside the 7-Eleven the morning Lundskog was killed, charges state.
A man who witnessed the murder said the person using the telephone on the videotape was the same person he saw outside the 7-Eleven, stomping on something, according to charges.
Another witness walking by the 7-Eleven about 5:30 a.m. also saw a man outside, stomping on a body near the back of the store. The witness then saw the man go inside the store to the phone, charges state. Not long after, the witness saw a car pull up to the 7-Eleven and saw the man put something in the car, charges state. The witness then saw the man go back and stomp on the body again, charges state.
Police discovered Lundskog's body lying in a grass strip at the back of the 7-Eleven later that morning.
An autopsy by the Utah medical examiner later determined Lundskog had been beaten to death by being kicked or stomped on, charges state.
Police originally sought Gordon as a witness to the crime. Police located and arrested Gordon with the help of Adult Probation and Parole agents who knew where to find him, Louis said.
Gordon remained in the Salt Lake County Jail this morning on $1 million bail.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com