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David Lemar Martin III

Case from Salt Lake City, UT dated Aug 20, 1980

Victim Details

David Martin

Male

Black / African American

Salt Lake City

UT

1980-08-20

18

David

Lemar Martin III

06/28/2026

Case Description

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In the late summer of 1980, a tragedy unfolded near Liberty Park in Salt Lake City that cut short the lives of two young men. On August 20, David Lemar Martin III, an 18-year-old Black male, was shot and killed. He was not alone in his fate; 20-year-old Theodore Tracy 'Ted' Fields also lost his life in the same violent incident. The senseless act was not a random street crime but the work of a man consumed by racial hatred.

The perpetrator was identified as Joseph Paul Franklin, a white s ...
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Links to Additional Sources (10)

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  • Joseph Paul Franklin - Wikipedia
  • Commentary: 37 years later, pain of Liberty Park shooting lingers
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    Forum Posts (1)

    Has anyone else ever wondered how Joseph Paul Franklin managed to elude capture for as long as he di... ...Read More
    02/01/2023
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