Nearly 20 years away from Elroy Tillman has not changed Lori Groneman's deep-seated fear of the convicted ax murderer.
Now, 41, Groneman is married, goes by a different surname and lives in the Midwest. But miles and time have yet to quell the anxiety her association with Tillman has wreaked on her life.
"Every morning for 19 years the first thing I think about, that never goes away, is what he did," Groneman told the State Board of Pardons and Parole Wednesday.
Tillman was convicted of creeping into Mark Schoenfeld's home and bludgeoning him with an ax on May 26, 1982. Tillman then set fire to Schoenfeld's bed.
Prosecutors say Tillman killed Schoenfeld out of jealousy over the 28-year-old's relationship with Groneman.
"The last thing that we ever talked about was getting married," Groneman said Wednesday, unable to hold in her tears.
Tillman, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms Wednesday, was not in court for Groneman's riveting testimony.
For almost an hour, Groneman recounted her violent, abusive relationship with Tillman from 1977 to 1982 as well as the nightmares she still has from seeing the gruesome crime scene photos of her bludgeoned boyfriend.
Her chilling testimony left Tillman's family in shock after the hearing. "I don't think she's really lying about everything, but I don't believe that he would have her murdered and her family murdered after all these years," said Tillman's wife of 30 years, Doris Tillman.
Tillman's fate will be decided by the five-member Board of Pardons. They granted Tillman a temporary stay of execution until June 25 after lead defense attorney Loni F. DeLand suffered a heart attack Tuesday, only one hour into the scheduled three-day commutation hearing. DeLand remained in serious condition Thursday morning at LDS Hospital.
During her one-hour examination Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Erin Riley led Groneman through the tumultuous relationship she had with Tillman that began when the two met at a party in 1977 in California.
A 17-year-old runaway with no place to live, Groneman accepted an offer to move in with Tillman. Tillman, who was 42 at the time, told Groneman he was in his late 20s.
Groneman said she worked and paid the rent on their apartment. During that time Tillman was convicted on federal drug charges and later sent to prison for violating his probation, Groneman said.
While Tillman was in prison, Groneman moved back to Utah in an effort to end the relationship. But out of fear, Groneman helped Tillman move to a halfway house in Utah after he was released from prison.
He later moved into a Bountiful apartment with Groneman, but the abuse continued.
"He hit my head into the wall multiple times," Groneman said. "He put a gun up to my left temple that was fully loaded and said, 'Don't you know I'll kill you?' "
Groneman decided she'd had enough, and with a police escort of seven officers, she moved out of the apartment.
Soon after, Groneman said Tillman began following her and sending threatening phone calls to her entire family.
"He had called me at one time and let me know that he could put a bomb under my father's van and blow up the entire family," Groneman said. "I think there was an effort on his part to make sure I knew he would get me — that he could get to me or my family no matter where he was."
She added, "If the sentence were to be commuted it would be the signature on my death warrant. It would be the signature on my family's death warrant."
Tillman's attorney Michael Sikora disagreed.
And whatever happened in the past, Doris Tillman said after Wednesday's hearing she still believes her husband deserves a commutation "because other people have done worse."
If Tillman is put to death, Groneman is currently the only witness on the victim's side.
With the recent stay, the Department of Corrections has slowed down preparations for the execution that was originally set for June 24. Before Tuesday's bizarre twist, officials had completed about 80 percent of the preparations for Tillman's execution, Corrections spokesman Jack Ford said.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com