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SALT LAKE CITY — A judge said the trial in a triple murder case where a man was found guilty of murdering two men and robbing another, then burning three bodies, was "one of the most horrible things (he's) ever had to listen to."
Third District Judge Barry Lawrence said he couldn't imagine not issuing consecutive sentences in the case during a sentencing hearing Wednesday for Richard Christopher.
"They deserved, at the very least, to live and die with dignity. And Mr. Christopher, you took all of that away from all three of them," the judge told the man who was found guilty of two counts of aggravated murders in a trial in January.
Lawrence said although Christopher was not found guilty of a third murder because the jury could not reach that conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt, Christopher is responsible for what happened to the man.
Consecutive sentences
The judge sentenced Christopher, 58, to two terms of 25 years to life for two counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, for the deaths of Braden Parker Emerson, 23, and Levi Joseph Collins, 34, and five years to life for the aggravated robbery of Danny "Kiko" Gallegos, 35, also a first-degree felony. He also ordered Christopher to serve three terms of zero to five years in prison for three counts of desecration of a body, a third-degree felony.
The sentences for the two aggravated murders and for aggravated robbery — and a sentence of one to 15 years in prison for obstructing justice — were ordered to run consecutive to each other, meaning Christopher was ordered to spend at least 56 years in prison. The desecration of body convictions were ordered to run concurrent.
Christopher was also found guilty of possession of a firearm as a restricted person, a third-degree felony, and Lawrence suspended the sentence of zero to five years in prison for that charge, closing it with credit for the 1,895 days Christopher has already spent in jail.
'These are the things that happen in movies'
Marc Mathis, deputy Salt Lake County attorney, said these crimes can be described with the phrase "shocks the conscience."
"The nature and manner of putting bodies in garbage cans, and then incinerating them in a pet crematorium is almost beyond words. These are the things that happen in movies, not in our community," he said.
The motive for Christopher's actions was likely money, Matheis said, reaching a sum of six figures. While the attorney said he recognizes the move would be symbolic, he still requested life without parole and consecutive sentences to show that "this is so outside anything that would ever be acceptable in our community."
He said the only solution in a case like this is for the defendant to be permanently taken out of society.
Gallegos' mother, Francis Baca, announced the names of each of the victims and encouraged others in the courtroom to repeat them with her, remembering the three men who were killed.
"I've waited a long time for this day. … For the past several years, our family has had to think about Kiko and how he was so brutally taken from us," she said.
Baca turned to Christopher and asked him how he could have "so easily snuffed out the lives of three young men." She told him he knows in his heart he murdered her son, even if he was not found guilty of that. The mother asked Christopher to look at her while she spoke to him.
"You not only took the life of my son, but for the past nine years you've inflicted pain upon all of our families, leaving a void that can't ever be filled," she said.
She told the judge that the sentence needs to send a clear message that these crimes are not tolerated.
'A monster'
Judi Rinker, Collins' mother, told her son's killer: "I hope you wake every morning knowing you are going to hell."
"Richard Christopher, you are evil. … You took from me my son. You took from his father, his brothers, his sister and uncle, cousins, his children, his girlfriend. His children were left without a father. He had a daughter he never got to meet; he was killed before she was born," she said.
After the emotions of the last 9½ years, she expressed a hope that Christopher is never free again and dies in prison.
Brittany Collins, Levi Collins' sister, called Christopher a "monster who wanted to play God," and said that is why he took her brother and left his four children to grow up without a father.
Emerson's sister, Natalie Swan, said her brother died without having a chance for children or finding a soulmate. She talked about a brother who was dedicated to running, even going on 12-mile runs while on vacation. She said he wore his heart on his sleeve and cared for everyone.
"Happiness was having a brother and a son like Braden Emerson," she said.
Swan said she misses her brother every moment and the loss has destroyed her. She asked the judge for the maximum possible sentence and said animal remains are treated better than Christopher treated her brother's remains.
Life without parole?
The victims' families asked for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for the murder charges and for all sentences to run consecutively, but Christopher's attorney asked the judge to give his client the possibility of parole, so he would have something to work toward, and not take discretion from the Uth Board of Pardons and Parole.
Life without the possibility of parole is "the slow death penalty. It shouldn't be ordered in any case in a civilized society," defense attorney Clifford Venable said.
Venable said even with the lightest sentence for the crimes, Christopher would be in prison until he was around 90 years old.
Lawrence did not sentence Christopher to life without parole but pointed out that the sentences he did give would still keep Christopher in prison until his death.
The case
The three men left their homes to ride all-terrain vehicles in Bountiful on Nov. 1, 2014, and did not return home. Two days later, Gallegos' abandoned car was found with a large amount of blood.
Christopher and his son, Justin Christopher, owned JC Custom Jewelry, and charging documents say Justin Christopher helped Gallegos — a drug trafficker and FBI informant — launder money. Prosecutors said Gallegos went to the store with $200,000 that day, which he had to use purchase a house, but Justin Christopher said he no longer wanted to purchase the home for Gallegos.
According to evidence at trial, an argument between the two men ensued before Richard Christopher walked up behind Gallegos and shot him. The father then instructed Collins and Emerson to take Gallegos to a nearby RV, where he shot and killed the two of them before talking all three bodies to a Utah County cremation facility used for large animals.
Justin Christopher was later convicted in federal court of money laundering related to his dealings with Gallegos. During the 2017 sentencing, his attorney, Loni Deland, said his client had nothing to do with the murders but was involved in disposing of the men's remains.
Richard Christopher was not arrested for the murders until 2019, based on information Justin Christopher gave to Salt Lake police about his father's involvement. He also testified against his father during the trial.
Richard Christopher did not speak at his sentencing on Wednesday, and Venable said he intends to file an appeal.
