On a crisp autumn day, November 1, 2014, Danny "Kiko" Gallegos, a 35-year-old Hispanic male from Salt Lake City, set out with two friends, Levi Joseph Collins, 34, and Braden Parker Emerson, 23. The trio told family they were heading to Bountiful to ride ATVs and expected to return by 5 p.m. that evening. Gallegos left his home in his 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, towing an ATV, with his friends and Collins' dog.
They never returned, sparking a mysterious and grim chapter that would take years to unravel.
The day they vanished, Gallegos was carrying a significant amount of cash, reportedly $200,000, with the intention of purchasing a house. Their planned ATV trip took a fatal detour to JC Custom Jewelry, a business owned by Richard Christopher and his son, Justin. Gallegos had an arrangement with Justin Christopher to launder money, and on this day, he was supposed to give him the cash for the home purchase. Inside the jewelry store, an argument broke out. It was then that Richard Christopher walked up behind Gallegos and fatally shot him in the head.
Following the murder of Gallegos, Richard Christopher went outside to the waiting Tahoe where Collins and Emerson sat. He got into the vehicle and directed them to a nearby RV. Once there, he shot and killed both men. The grim task of disposing of the evidence came next. The bodies of all three victims were taken to a crematorium in Utah County, a facility typically used for large animals, and their remains were incinerated. To this day, the bodies of Danny Gallegos, Levi Collins, and Braden Emerson have never been recovered.
The investigation began on November 2, 2014, when the men were reported missing. A day later, Gallegos' abandoned Tahoe was discovered near the Jordan River. Collins' uninjured dog was found inside the vehicle, along with a large amount of blood that DNA testing later confirmed belonged to Collins and Emerson. For over four years, the case grew cold, though suspicion lingered around the Christophers. A break finally came when a witness, identified as J.C., came forward with information as part of an immunity deal. This witness, believed to be Justin Christopher, detailed the horrific events of that day.
In January 2019, Richard Christopher, then 53, was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated murder and other felonies. The subsequent legal proceedings spanned years. In January 2024, a jury delivered a complex verdict. Richard Christopher was found guilty of the aggravated murders of Levi Collins and Braden Emerson. He was acquitted of the murder of Danny Gallegos but was convicted of aggravated robbery against him and three counts of abuse or desecration of a human body for all three victims. In March 2024, a judge sentenced Richard Christopher to a term of 56 years to life in prison, ensuring the man responsible for the "predatory, violent, and unconscionable" murders would likely never be free again.
