The Crime Utah Will Never Forget | The Ogden Hi-Fi Shop Murders

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Ogden has a small town feeling with big city amenities.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Located 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, it is one of Utah's best kept secrets.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: It doesn't matter what part of Ogden one lives in. The residents, one and all are gifted with a magnificent view of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This crime happened just eight miles from where I live now and is truly one that Utah has never forgotten.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: April 22, 1974 is remembered as one of the darkest days in Utah's history.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: That evening the Ogden City Police Department were called to the hi Fi shop following reports of a disturbance.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Police officers arrived expecting a robbery. What they discovered was much, much worse.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: For local music lovers, the hi Fi Shop was a favorite spot in the 70s.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Located on Washington Boulevard, it was known for selling top notch audio equipment, stereos and record players.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: High school kids and adults alike frequented the shop drawn in by the latest in sound technology.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: On April 22, 1974, 20 year old Stanley Walker, who was filling in for a co worker that night, was an easygoing young man with many friends and 18 year old Sherry Michelle Ainsley, who went by Michelle, was working at the hi Fi shop.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: She had only been employed there for a week as a bookkeeper and a cashier.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Michelle, with her porcelain features was described as warm and fun.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This was an exciting time for her as she was due to be married in August of that year.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The shop closed at 6pm on Mondays, so Michelle and Stanley were cleaning up, counting receipts and putting equipment away when 21 year old Dale Pierre Selby and 19 year old William Andrews, accompanied by two other men entered the hi Fi store.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Michelle and Stanley let Selby and his accomplices know that the store was now closed. But Selby didn't leave.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Michelle watched as he produced a firearm and pointed it at her head. He then ordered Andrews to tie the pair up and throw them into the basement.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Once in the basement, Michelle and Stanley heard the four men rummaging around upstairs ripping equipment from the shelves and stuffing it into an awaiting van.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The pair huddled together and prayed for their safety while Selby made his way down to the basement.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Just as Selby's attention had been turned to Michelle and Stanley, he heard the front door chime.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Fearing they had been interrupted by the police or a passerby, Selby and Andrews rushed to the front door.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: 16 year old Byron Courtney Naisbitt, who goes by Courtney, came to the shop looking for Stanley who had told him he could park in the store parking lot earlier in the day while he ran errands. Once Courtney entered The store, he heard a voice say, take another step and I'll shoot you.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney threw his hands up and before he knew it, he was tumbling down the stairs, being kicked and punched in the stomach.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Once he landed on the shag carpet in the basement where he saw Michelle and Stanley, he too was tied up.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The three remained laying on the ground while one man held a gun on them and the others continued to loot equipment upstairs.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Then they were interrupted again.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This time, 43 year old Orrin Walker, Stanley's father, walked through the front door.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: According to Gary kinder and victim, the Other side of Murder, Orrin was concerned that Stanley may have been having car trouble as he had just purchased a utility jeep.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Armed with jumper cables, Orrin drove to the hi Fi store to see if Stanley needed any help.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: After entering the store, he too was tied up and forced into the basement.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby and Andrew stayed with their hostages while their accomplices raided the store.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Michelle, Stanley, Courtney and Orrin were beaten, kicked and punched.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby especially seemed to get a kick out of hurting them and became excited whenever they showed fear.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Sometime later, the final victim, Carol Peterson Naisbitt, arrived at the hi Fi store looking for her son, 16 year old Courtney.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: It was unlike him to come home late and Carol sensed something was wrong.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: As she pushed the handle to the front door, Carol gazed into the basement and into the barrel of a gun.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: She was waved into the basement with the others where she too was tied up and made to lay down right next to her son Courtney.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: While down in the basement, Selby pulled out a bottle telling the hostages it was a concoction of a German drug and vodka to help them sleep for a couple of hours.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Instead, it was Drano, a chemical cleaner composed of sodium hydroxide, which is corrosive and a known irritant.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: If it comes into contact with tissue, it can burn and cause severe damage.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: With the gun to their heads, Selby forced the group to drink the Drano, lifting them up and pouring it directly into their mouths, causing immeasurable pain and suffering.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Michelle screamed in pain as it slipped down her throat.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Most of the hostages were covered in blisters and welts from where the chemicals had burned their skin.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Moaning, retching and coughing filled the air as the hostages desperately attempted to spit the Drano out.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby tried to duct tape their mouths shut to prevent this, but due to the corrosive nature of sodium hydroxide and other ingredients, the tape didn't stick.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Orrin Walker, Stanley's father, avoided swallowing the Dranol by discreetly allowing the drain cleaner to spill from his mouth and thrashed around on the floor as if he had swallowed it.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Andrews, Selby's accomplice in the basement, recalled later how Selby told him that he had come up with the idea of giving the hostages Drano from watching the movie Magnum Force, where a person was forced to drink drain cleaner, causing their death.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: At one point, Selby and Andrews grabbed a ballpoint pen and forced it into Orrin's ear.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: According to Orrin, Selby then proceeded to stomp on the pen, forcing it into his ear canal, which perforated his eardrum and pierced through his throat.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Blood pooled from Orrin's wounds.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Seeing that the hostages weren't dying quickly enough, Selby walked over to Carol Naisbitt and knelt down next to her with gun in hand.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney heard a blast and the sound of the bullet when it hit his mother's head.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Her blood spurred out and spattered onto the carpet just inches away from him.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby walked over Carol's body and stood over Courtney. He bent down, put the muzzle of the gun to the back of his head and pulled the trigger.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He then approached Orrin Walker next, standing with his feet at his head, Selby pulled the trigger.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The bullet came within inches of Warren's head, but it hit the carpet and ricocheted into a wall.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby then turned his attention to Michelle.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: She begged for her life, pleading with Selby to let her live as she was too young to die.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Orrin Walker would later testify that Selby seemed to enjoy torturing Michelle and the other hostages.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby made Michelle go to another room in the basement where he sexually assaulted her.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Ten to 15 minutes later, Michelle walked back into the room with the rest of the hostages.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This time she was nude.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: She again pleaded and begged for her life, but Selby couldn't leave any witnesses. So he cocked his gun, placed it on the back of her head and fired one shot.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He then stepped over Michelle's body and bent low behind Stanley and fired a bullet into the back of his head.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Once more, Selby walked over to Orrin Walker and aimed the gun at his head and shot.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This time he didn't miss.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Thinking they were all dead, Selby and Andrews took one last look at their five hostages and noticed Orrin Walker's chest slowly moving up and down. He was still breathing.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby wrapped a piece of wire around Orrin's throat, asphyxiating him.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: But he was still alive.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby and Andrews rallied their men, collected the final pieces of equipment and hit the road. Those who served as getaway drivers knew something horrific had occurred, but were too terrified to ask.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The group made away with around $24,000 worth of stereo equipment, which is about $159,000 today, and five victims whose lives would be forever changed. At around 10:30, a disturbance call came in for 2323 Washington Blvd.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: When the police arrived, a boy told officers they were inside.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: When the officers reached the basement, they immediately saw Carol Naisbitt, eyes open, staring up at the ceiling with red burns around her mouth.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Then they saw Stanley. He had a large hole in the back of his head.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: When the ambulance arrived, Courtney Naisbitt and Orrin Walker were immediately transferred to the hospital.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney had been shot and forced to drink Drano several times.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney's chances of survival were slim.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Doctors expected him to die in the early morning, but he defied the odds and survived.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: For 266 days, Courtney remained in the hospital. On day 267, Courtney was discharged. He left the hospital a different person, but he was alive and at just 16 years old, suffered permanent brain damage.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Orrin Walker, too, survived, but not without disfigurement and injury, as he had allowed the Drano to slip down his face. His mouth and chin were severely burned, leaving him with a lifetime of facial disfigurement.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He also suffered permanent hearing loss after the ballpoint pen was forced into his ear and stomped through his throat.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The bullet wound to his head proved to be superficial.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Technicians spent 18 hours processing the scene at the hi Fi shop, collecting evidence and taking pictures.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The Ogden City Police Department received several tips in the days after the murders, one of which led them to the nearby Hill Air Force Base, where Selby and Andrews were stationed.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: An associate of Andrews at the barracks told the Ogden City Police Department that Andrews had been planning the spree for months.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Andrews had been dead set on burglarizing the hi Fi store and threatened to kill anyone who stood in his way.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Hours after investigators learned of this threat, two boys dumpster diving outside the Air Force base came across the IDs and wallets belonging to the hi Fi murder victims.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This gave investigators enough cause to execute a full search.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Using these tips, Officer George Throckmorton and a handful of detectives were sent to the Air Force base.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby was no stranger to the investigators as he was a suspect in another murder.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The team received a search warrant for Selby's barracks.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Throckmorton told ABC4, As I went over to lift up the carpet.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Between the carpet and the padding, there was A folded piece of paper. And as I opened the paper, it was a lease agreement of a storage unit that was about a block from the hi Fi shop and Selby had signed it.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The Ogden City Police Department went to the storage unit and inside they found items stolen from the shop. Fingerprints from Selby and Andrews were found on the equipment.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: One of their accomplices, Keith Leon Roberts, was arrested.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Roberts served as one of the getaway drivers.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: According to reports, the Ogden City Police Department was unable to secure enough evidence to convict the other men who have remained nameless to this day.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Keith Leon Roberts was convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery and was given two concurrent five years to life sentences and was paroled in 1987. He committed suicide in August 1992 at the age of 38.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Andrews and Selby joked with each other and played poker while waiting for the jury to reach their verdict.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: They were both found guilty of three counts of first degree murder and two counts of aggravated robbery and received the death penalty.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: At his trial, Andrews admitted to forcing the hostages to drink Drano.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The trial and sentencing came with great controversy in Ogden.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Many cited racial bias and systemic racism in how the case was handled and the sentencing outcome.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Selby and Andrews were black while their victims were white, but the court upheld the sentences.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: In 1977, Selby took his case to the Supreme Court where the death penalty was upheld.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: While in prison, Selby kept a journal, watched soap operas and tried to come up with ways to start an empire while behind bars.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: In the end, Selby accepted responsibility for his crime, saying, they're not executing an innocent man.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: As his execution approached, Selby turned to scripture reading, meditation and deep breathing to calm his anxiety.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: On August 28, 1987, a bar in Ogden held a Selby going away party while others attended a vigil outside the prison.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He declined a last meal and spent his final day fasting, praying, singing hymns and reading the Bible.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: His last words were thank you. I'm just going to say my prayers.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: That evening, 34 year old Selby made his final walk on death row where he was led to the chamber and died without incident by lethal injection.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: This was the first execution in Utah since Gary Gilmore, who died by firing squad in 1977.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Andrews enjoyed a last meal of a banana split after arriving at the execution chamber, he wanted to know if he would see his family that was there to witness his death.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: The warden pointed to them and after that Andrews joked about redecorating the chamber and talked about movies he had seen.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: One of the wardens said to Andrews this has been a long haul for you, hasn't it? Andrews replied, yes, I'm actually very tired. In other words, I'm more or less settled and fairly well ready to face the ultimate that is apparently before me.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He flashed a smile to his family and friends, then mouthed the words I love you and blew a kiss to his sister.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He also added, thank those who tried to keep me alive. I hope they continue to fight for equal justice after I'm gone.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Tell my family goodbye and that I love them.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Andrews was executed by lethal injection on July 30, 1992.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Some believed Andrews should not have received the death penalty due to the claims of racial bias during the trial.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney naisbitt, who was 16 at the time of the attack, had just completed his first solo flight four months before his tragedy.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He was obsessed with flying and had just completed a lesson the very day of the crime.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He was an Eagle Scout and loved science, once constructing a telescope, which won a blue ribbon at a science fair.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney missed many months of school during his recuperation and rehabilitation.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Despite this, he was able to catch up and graduate on time with his class.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Courtney continued to make improvements in his life.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He attended school, was employed at Hill Air Force Base as a computer technician, and in 1985 he got married.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: He eventually moved to Seattle and lived there for 15 years and made many friends. In 2002, at the age of 44, Courtney died of an undisclosed illness.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Although he continued to experience chronic pain and health issues stemming from the attack on him in 1974, he accomplished more in his life than anyone could have ever imagined.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: Orrin Walker, who suffered permanent disfigurement and disability, died of cancer on February 13, 2000 at the age of 69.

Speaker Madeline O' Brien: For further reading on this case, I suggest the book the Other side of Murder by Gary Kinder. It goes into a detail on the lives of the victims before and after the crime.