In Salt Lake City, Utah, on the first of May, 2021, the life of 51-year-old Kevin Ray Hettich, a White male, was tragically cut short. Hettich was discovered deceased on Hansen Avenue, having suffered significant trauma to his head. The Salt Lake City Police were called to the scene where they initiated a homicide investigation.
The investigation quickly led police to a suspect, Nathaniel Joseph Kenyon, then 42 years old.
Surveillance footage from the area captured a man, later identified as Kenyon, carrying a metal pipe near where Hettich's body was found. Further investigation revealed that Kenyon had allegedly attacked another individual with a metal pipe in the same vicinity shortly before the fatal encounter with Hettich. This first victim, who was sleeping on a porch, sustained injuries to his head and a possible broken arm.
Following a public appeal for information and a warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous, Kenyon was located and arrested the day after Hettich's body was found. During questioning, Kenyon reportedly admitted to killing Hettich, stating that he was "proud of it" and that it was a "mercy killing". He also claimed to have dragged Hettich's body out of the road. Kenyon told investigators he had an "evil feeling" and believed Hettich was waiting in the dark to kill him. He claimed self-defense in both attacks.
Kenyon was charged with murder and aggravated assault. However, legal proceedings took a different turn when the court ordered a competency evaluation. Ultimately, a judge determined that Nathaniel Kenyon was not mentally competent to stand trial. As a result, he was ordered to be released from the Utah State Hospital's custody in relation to the criminal case and was instead civilly committed. Days before the attack, Kenyon had been released from the Salt Lake County Jail due to overcrowding after being arrested for allegedly punching a nurse while on an involuntary psychiatric hold.
