Arthur Bishop

Serial Killer

Arthur Gary Bishop: Utah Serial Killer

Arthur Gary Bishop was an American serial killer and child sex offender who murdered five boys in Utah between 1979 and 1983. Operating primarily in the Salt Lake City area and frequently using the alias Roger W. Downs, Bishop was able to remain hidden while children disappeared from apartment complexes, stores, neighborhoods and parks. His victims ranged from four to thirteen years old. The investigation finally collapsed around him in July 1983, when detectives questioning him about the disappearance of his final victim uncovered his true identity and obtained a confession to all five murders. Bishop's crimes were particularly disturbing because he often presented himself as a friendly and trustworthy adult. He cultivated relationships with boys, offered gifts and activities, and placed himself in situations where parents and children could view him as a harmless companion. After his arrest, investigators discovered that the five murders represented only part of his criminal behavior. Numerous boys had been sexually abused or exploited by Bishop but survived.

Early Life and Criminal Background

Arthur Gary Bishop was born on September 29, 1952, in Hinckley, Utah. He grew up in a religious family, became an Eagle Scout and was considered a capable student. As a young man he served as a missionary in the Philippines for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To people who knew him during his youth, there was little indication that he would eventually become one of Utah's most notorious murderers. By the late 1970s, however, Bishop's life had begun to unravel. He worked as a bookkeeper and was arrested for embezzlement in 1978. He received a suspended sentence but violated the conditions imposed upon him and eventually began living under false names, most notably Roger W. Downs. He also used the name Lynn Jones. Bishop sought opportunities that allowed him to spend time around boys. He became associated with the Big Brothers program and cultivated relationships with children by offering attention, gifts, recreational activities and outings. His outward friendliness concealed an escalating pattern of sexual abuse. By 1979, Bishop had also separated from the religious life in which he had been raised.

The Murder of Alonzo Daniels

Four-year-old Alonzo Daniels became Bishop's first known murder victim in October 1979. Alonzo was playing near his family's Salt Lake City apartment when Bishop, who lived nearby under the name Roger Downs, lured him into his apartment by offering him candy. Bishop later confessed that after he began molesting Alonzo, the child became upset and threatened to tell his mother. Fearful that the boy would expose him, Bishop attacked him and ultimately drowned him in a bathtub. Bishop concealed Alonzo's body in a container, transported it into the Cedar Valley area near Cedar Fort, Utah, and buried him in a shallow grave. Contemporary police reporting and the Utah Supreme Court record place Alonzo's disappearance and murder on October 16, 1979. Some later secondary accounts give October 14, 1979, but the October 16 date is supported by contemporary reporting surrounding the recovery of the victims and the official appellate record. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Alonzo Daniels Age: (4), Date of Death: 1979-10-14

Arthur Gary Bishop - Wikipedia