SALT LAKE CITY — A St. George man accused of killing his roommate last month has been extradited to Utah to face murder charges.
Joshua Anthony Huntsman, 25, was charged July 7 in 5th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony, and theft, a second-degree felony. The arrest warrant and charging documents had been sealed while authorities attempted to arrest Huntsman in California.
The warrant was recalled on Monday after Huntsman was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility. His initial court appearance was held Tuesday. Huntsman is scheduled to be back in court on Aug. 11.
On July 3, St. George police were asked to perform a welfare check on Gary Dale Hall, 62, after he failed to show up for work and was not answering his phone, according to a search warrant affidavit. A landlord helped police look into Hall’s apartment through the window.
“When the officers were able to open the window, they observed feet lying on the floor and were not getting a response. Officers then forced the front door open to get access to the person down and who was not responding,” the warrant states.
Police found Hall’s body covered by a blanket.
“As the blanket was being removed it was discovered that there was a bullet and bullet casing on the floor next to the body. It was later discovered at the autopsy that the victim, Gary Hall, suffered two gunshot wounds to the head — one to the front of the face and one to the back of the head,” the affidavit states.
At that time, police also learned that Hall’s roommate, Huntsman, was not at home and had not shown up for work.
On July 6, detectives developed information that Huntsman was in Santa Rosa, California. Police there were notified, and officers found Hull’s missing car, the warrant states.
Huntsman was later located and arrested and then extradited back to Utah.