Russell Miner Anderson: The 1987 Utah Murders
Overview
Russell Miner Anderson was responsible for the murders of three people in Utah during the summer of 1987. The killings occurred in two separate incidents approximately five weeks apart and involved people Anderson knew personally. His victims were married couple Norman B. Armstrong and Janet Marie Armstrong, followed by Frank R. Boulton. All three victims were shot, and investigators determined that the same .22-caliber handgun was connected to the killings.
The crimes were notable for their apparently senseless nature. Anderson did not describe robbery, financial gain, or a long-standing dispute as a motive. Years later, when questioned about the murders during a parole hearing, he repeatedly attributed his behavior to heavy drinking and his disturbed mental condition at the time, while admitting that he could not adequately explain why he had turned against people he considered friends.
The Murders of Norman and Janet Armstrong
On July 22, 1987, Anderson was with Norman B. Armstrong, 39, and Norman's wife, Janet Marie Armstrong, 38. Anderson knew the couple and later described Norman as a friend. The three went target shooting, with Anderson later acknowledging that he had been drinking heavily.
The outing ended in violence near the Interstate 80 overpass at approximately 6000 West in Salt Lake County. Anderson shot Norman and Janet multiple times with a .22-caliber pistol. Their bodies were discovered near the overpass on July 22. Contemporary reports described Norman and Janet as a South Salt Lake couple.
An especially disturbing aspect of the double murder was the origin of the weapon. Anderson later told the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole that the gun he used to kill all three of his victims had originally come from Norman Armstrong. Thus, a firearm obtained from a man Anderson regarded as a friend was ultimately turned against Norman, his wife, and later another acquaintance.
Anderson never provided a coherent motive for suddenly attacking the Armstrongs. At a parole hearing decades later, he said he had been intoxicated and claimed that events simply got out of control. He described having essentially lost control of himself during the shootings. According to Anderson, after killing the couple he remained at the scene for a period of time, stunned by what he had done.
Anderson later said that the following day he was at home while his mother watched television coverage of the Armstrong murders. He claimed that he then admitted to her that he was responsible. Despite that admission within his family, Anderson was not immediately arrested, and several weeks passed before he was taken into custody.
The Murder of Frank R. Boulton
Before Anderson was arrested for the Armstrong murders, he killed again. On August 29, 1987, approximately five weeks after Norman and Janet Armstrong were murdered, Anderson spent time with 38-year-old Frank R. Boulton. Anderson and Boulton knew one another through their employment at Deseret Industries.
According to Anderson's later description of the day, he and Boulton went to the old Salt Palace to watch professional wrestling. Alcohol was consumed heavily during their outing. Afterward, the men traveled to a church parking lot in Bountiful, Utah, where they got out and walked around.
It was there that Anderson turned the gun on Boulton. Frank Boulton was shot multiple times and died in the church parking lot on August 29, 1987. Anderson later claimed that both men had been extremely intoxicated and that he could no longer remember exactly how many times he fired. He offered no convincing explanation for why a social outing with a coworker ended in murder.
The Boulton investigation became linked to the Armstrong double homicide when authorities determined that the same firearm used to kill Norman and Janet Armstrong had also been used in Boulton's murder. The connection helped establish that the three deaths were not unrelated acts of violence but the work of the same killer.
Victims
- Norman B. Armstrong, 39 — Killed July 22, 1987. Norman was shot while on a target-shooting outing with Anderson and Janet Armstrong. His body was found near the Interstate 80 overpass at approximately 6000 West in Salt Lake County, Utah.
- Janet Marie Armstrong, 38 — Killed July 22, 1987. Janet was murdered alongside her husband, Norman. Her body was also found near the Interstate 80 overpass at approximately 6000 West in Salt Lake County, Utah.
- Frank R. Boulton, 38 — Killed August 29, 1987. Boulton, a coworker and acquaintance of Anderson, was shot multiple times in a church parking lot in Bountiful, Utah, after the two had spent part of the day together.
Investigation and Arrest
The Armstrong murders and Boulton murder occurred in different jurisdictions, requiring investigators to piece together evidence from the separate crime scenes. The firearm evidence provided an important connection. Authorities determined that the .22-caliber pistol associated with the Armstrong killings was also used in Boulton's death.
Anderson was arrested several weeks after the Armstrong murders. By September 25, 1987, he had been formally charged in connection with the deaths of Norman and Janet Armstrong. Prosecutors initially pursued first-degree murder charges in that case. The charges were subsequently amended, and Anderson ultimately entered guilty-but-mentally-ill pleas to murder charges. The prosecution of Frank Boulton's murder proceeded separately because it occurred in Davis County.
Mental Health Issues and Court Proceedings
Anderson's mental and intellectual condition became a major issue during sentencing. Psychological evaluations indicated that he had significant intellectual limitations as well as personality and behavioral problems. His attorneys argued that he should be committed to the Utah State Hospital rather than placed in prison.
The court heard extensive testimony from mental-health professionals concerning whether Anderson met the legal requirements for placement in a psychiatric hospital. Although experts recognized significant intellectual impairment, the court concluded that his condition did not qualify him for the type of psychiatric commitment sought by the defense. The judge therefore ordered Anderson incarcerated in the Utah State Prison.
For the murders of Norman and Janet Armstrong, Anderson received two consecutive sentences of five years to life. His conviction for the murder of Frank Boulton resulted in another five-years-to-life term. In total, Anderson was sentenced to three consecutive sentences of five years to life, one for each person he killed.
Parole Hearing and Anderson's Account of the Murders
Decades later, the murders were examined again during a March 2014 hearing before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. Anderson, then serving his sentences at the Utah State Prison, was asked to explain each killing. His answers repeatedly returned to alcohol, confusion, and his assertion that he had not been himself during 1987.
When discussing Frank Boulton, Anderson acknowledged that the two men had been drinking heavily before reaching the Bountiful church parking lot. When discussing Norman and Janet Armstrong, he again described being intoxicated while target shooting with the couple. He admitted responsibility but could offer no clear motive explaining why he had shot his friends and acquaintances.
Anderson told the board that he was remorseful and said he had previously written apology letters to the victims' families. A son of Norman and Janet Armstrong addressed the parole board and opposed Anderson's release, emphasizing that Anderson had killed people who had trusted and befriended him and still could not explain why he had done so. A parole board member indicated that he favored having Anderson serve his life sentences rather than being released.
Legacy of the Case
Russell Miner Anderson's crimes stand out because three people who knew him were murdered during two seemingly ordinary social outings. Norman and Janet Armstrong went target shooting with someone they considered a friend. Frank Boulton spent a day attending wrestling with a coworker. Each encounter ended with Anderson using the same firearm to kill people who apparently had no reason to believe they were in danger from him.
The verified sequence of murders began with Norman B. and Janet Marie Armstrong on July 22, 1987, and continued with Frank R. Boulton on August 29, 1987. With three victims killed during separate incidents over a period of more than a month, Anderson has been classified as a serial murderer. His guilty pleas and three consecutive five-years-to-life sentences ensured that the deaths of Norman Armstrong, Janet Armstrong, and Frank Boulton were formally attributed to him and that he faced a potential lifetime of imprisonment for the three killings.
