SALT LAKE CITY — Curtis Michael Allgier, who is in jail facing an aggravated murder charge that could put him on death row if he's convicted, plans to get married.
The heavily tattooed white supremacist has received permission to marry on April 20, which also is the birthday of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Rollin Cook granted Allgier's request in a letter filed in 3rd District Court on Monday.
That same day, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office officially notified the court it intends to seek the death penalty for Allgier, 30, if he is convicted of the 2007 shooting death of corrections officer Stephen Anderson.
Cook said he could not discuss details of the pending nuptials or reveal the name of the bride-to-be, but he confirmed that a ceremony is planned in the Salt Lake County Jail.
"Marriages don't happen that often in our facility, but someone has reached out to him and wants to marry him," Cook said.
The ceremony will be conducted in a visiting area with glass between Allgier and the woman, and it will involve a short, simple exchange of vows. There will be someone to officiate, and the witnesses will be correctional staff. The bride can wear a wedding dress if she chooses, as long as her clothing is appropriate for public wear, but she cannot carry a bouquet or have pictures taken.
There also will be no exchange of rings or a kiss, since no physical contact is allowed.
Allgier will wear a jailhouse jumpsuit and shackles. He may need to sign some paperwork, but that will be brought to him by correctional employees.
"It is just between him and that person through the glass," Cook said. "It will be very simple and kind of boring."
As for the death penalty notification, Utah prosecutors have 60 days after an individual is arraigned to declare whether they will ask for the death penalty in an aggravated murder case.
Allgier's case is nowhere near that stage, despite his having been arrested less than an hour after Anderson's death in 2007. The case has involved various procedural delays and appeals, including one to the Utah Supreme Court. It is not uncommon for a murder cases to take as long as two years or more to move through the court system. Cases that carry a potential death penalty can take longer.
Arraignments are scheduled after a preliminary hearing if an individual is bound over for trial. Allgier is scheduled for a four-day preliminary hearing that will start March 30.
Although not officially declared until this week, it has been common knowledge that Allgier's litigation is a death penalty case. Soon after he was arrested, Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller said publicly that her office would request the death penalty if Allgier is convicted.
Another court hearing is set for March 24 to address Allgier's request to be "double-cuffed" with two sets of handcuffs linked together while in court. Allgier's attorneys have argued that he has ankylosing spondylitis, an arthritis-related ailment that causes inflammation and pain. For Allgier, it hurts his shoulders and spine and the pain becomes more intense when he is wearing one set. Using two sets of handcuffs would provide more space and create a somewhat more comfortable position.
However, prosecutors in the past have argued that Allgier presents a security risk and that jail officials have not deemed it a medical necessity for him to have double handcuffs.
Allgier is charged with capital murder for allegedly shooting Anderson, 60, to death on June 25, 2007, when Anderson took Allgier from the Utah State Prison to University Hospital for medical tests. Prosecutors contend Allgier wrestled Anderson's gun from him and shot him, then fled the hospital, commandeered a sport-utility vehicle, raced to a female friend's house to change clothes and then led police on a high-speed chase that ended at a fast-food restaurant in Salt Lake City's Glendale neighborhood. Allgier was found in the restaurant manager's office and was captured by police.
He is charged with seven other felonies besides the aggravated murder charge and is being held in jail without bail.
e-mail: lindat@desnews.com