Serial Killer Roberto V. Arguelles
Roberto V. Arguelles was an American serial killer and repeat violent sex offender whose long criminal history culminated in the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murders of four people in Utah during a period of less than six weeks in 1992. His confirmed victims were 42-year-old Margo Bond and three teenage girls: Stephanie Blundell, Lisa Martinez, and Tuesday Roberts. The murders occurred after Arguelles had already spent years incarcerated for serious sexual assaults and attempted homicide and had been released on parole.
The four killings remained partly unresolved for several years. Arguelles eventually confessed on April 26, 1996, while incarcerated for unrelated sexual offenses against children. His confession provided investigators with detailed accounts of the crimes and information that helped authorities locate previously undiscovered remains. He pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and was sentenced to death in 1997.
Early Criminal History
Arguelles displayed serious criminal and violent behavior long before the 1992 murders. According to the record later considered by the Utah Supreme Court, he was convicted of car and gasoline theft in October 1977 when he was only 15 years old. The following year, in October 1978, he sexually abused a 10-year-old girl. He was convicted of that offense in March 1979.
In February 1979, Arguelles raped a 16-year-old girl, although that particular case was eventually dismissed following his conviction for the earlier sexual-abuse offense. His violence escalated further after his release from juvenile custody.
In 1980, Arguelles attacked two teenage girls. The resulting prosecution led to his May 1980 convictions for aggravated sexual assault involving a 15-year-old girl and attempted capital homicide involving another 15-year-old girl. One of the attacks was particularly serious, involving a victim whose throat was slashed but who survived and was able to obtain help.
Arguelles received lengthy prison sentences and spent most of the following decade incarcerated. Despite the severity of his criminal history, he was eventually released on parole on June 25, 1991. Less than a year later, he began the series of murders for which he became notorious.
The Murder of Margo Bond
Arguelles' first confirmed murder victim was Margo Bond, a 42-year-old woman who worked as the head custodian at Kennedy Junior High School. Bond was a wife, mother, and grandmother who had also distinguished herself as a competitive bodybuilder. Her family remembered her as an energetic woman who enjoyed activities including golfing, bicycling, and camping.
On February 21, 1992, Bond went to work at the school. According to Arguelles' later confession, he encountered her there and abducted her at knifepoint. He drove Bond west from the Salt Lake Valley toward an isolated desert area in Tooele County. During the trip, he sexually assaulted her.
Once in the remote desert, Arguelles removed Bond's clothing, bound her, and strangled her to death. He then placed her body in a shallow grave. He took jewelry belonging to her and discarded other evidence as he returned toward Salt Lake County.
Bond disappeared without an immediate explanation. Approximately four months later, her body was discovered in Tooele County. At the time, investigators did not know that her death was connected to the disappearances of several teenage girls that would follow.
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