Authorities ideally want to solve cases and gather evidence shortly after incidents happen. However, unsolved crimes don’t just go away, even if they are classed as cold cases. Now, authorities have named a killer from a chilling case 40 years ago.
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According to a press release by the Salt Lake City Police Department, authorities have identified Christine Gallegos’ killer. She died on May 16, 1985. The release explains that authorities found Gallegos’ body near 1384 South Jefferson Street, just west of Dirk’s Field. The area is now known as Ballpark.
Detectives at the time said Gallegos’ attacker beat and sexually assaulted her before shooting her dead. Authorities said it was ‘very obvious’ that she struggled with the suspect before she was shot and stabbed. Despite efforts from multiple agencies, including the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services, no suspects were found, and the case went cold. It wasn’t until 2023 that the Cold Case Review Board re-examined the incident. Using modern technology, including DNA analysis, police determined the likely suspect was Ricky Lee Stallworth. A family member offered a voluntary DNA sample, which confirmed a match.
The Cold Case Suspect Died in 2023
Despite the findings, Christine’s killer will never face justice because he died in 2023. According to a report by The Salt Lake Tribune, Detective Cordon Parks said, “I wish we could have got to him before he died.” The outlet explains that authorities had only accused Stallworth of a single crime back in 2020, when he faced a charge of communication fraud. He was reportedly charged with a second-degree felony. Police sentenced him to house confinement, and he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor for 60 days. He died shortly after.
Christine’s mother, Leah, reportedly said she often misses her daughter and thinks about the grand-kids she may have had. Leah explained, “She was just special. She was outgoing, she was sweet, she was in love with her fiancé. They took so much away when they took her away.”
Police Chief Brian Read said, “Just because time passes doesn’t mean we stop searching for answers. I am grateful to our partners at the Utah Department of Public Safety and other allied agencies who helped make this case possible.”