Don Wagstaff, Utah Department of Corrections,
was beaten to death on December 23, 1970.
Here is what I heard about the murder of my father.
On December 23, 1970, Don Wagstaff
age 56, a guard at the Utah State
Penitentiary was murdered.
He was supervising the early morning dairy crew
made up of prisoners.
As was the procedure at the time Don Wagstaff was
the only guard on duty at this post.
Between 5:00-6:00 am two prisoners,
Ronald Kirby and _____Archuletta,
went to the grain room and did not
return in an appropriate amount of
time. Don Wagstaff went to the grain
room (this was a separate small
building next to the milking building) to
check on them and was murdered there.
Don Wagstaff was initially bludgeoned
with a sharp object when he entered
the room. His coat, boots,
and watch were taken from his body and were
later found with the prisoners who
were charged with his murder. His hands
and feet were tied and huge amounts
of loose grain were put on top of him.нн
The autopsy and death certificate
stated that he died of grain inhalation.нн
After committing this crime to Don
Wagstaff, the two prisoners escaped from
the prison grounds and were picked
up near Salt Lake City on Redwood Road,
just a few hours after the murder
took place.
A murder trial was held in July and
August 1971. The two prisoners were
given second degree murder because
Ronald Kirby stated he had simply gotten
angry because he had been turned down
for parole and committed the act
himself. Kirby was eventually
such a cantankerous prisoner that he was
later moved from the Utah State facility
to one in New Mexico. It is my
understanding that Archuletta is still
at the Utah State Penitentiary.
My father, Don Wagstaff, was an impressive
man for many reasons and this was
a great tragedy for our family.
The murder of Don Wagstaff was life
altering for my mom and for all of
us. He was a person of great integrity,
honesty, and was a hard worker in
all areas of his life. He was serving in
his local LDS Bishopric at the time
of his death. He loved his
family----especially my Mom.
He was and still is loved and missed.
Sincerely,
Barbara Wagstaff Price
This page, along with the State Memorial at Utah's Capitol, is maintained by the Utah Peace Officers Association in behalf of Utah's Fallen Officers - may we never forget their ultimate sacrifice
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