Unsolved Murder Victim.
Dale was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the daughter of Harlen Dale and Loretta (Greenman) Leth, and graduated from Davis High School. She was married in the LDS church to Parley Hal Jeffs, and they had one daughter, Christine. On August 27, 1965, she was married for the second time to Don Ritchie Langston, in Ely, Nevada. They made their home in Layton, Utah, and together had one son, Troy. She was employed with Davis Lanes. Don was alleged to be very involved with the criminal element. Dale passed away one evening when an unknown assailant entered her home between the hours of 10:00PM and 2:00AM, and brutally stabbed her to death along with her two small children, Christine Jeffs, age 6, and Troy Langston, age 3. She is survived by her husband, Don; her father, Harlen Leth; her mother, Loretta Wineman; two sisters, Shirlene Bauett and Janet Colburln; two brothers, Dee Leth and Steven Leth; grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Greenman, Mrs. Ella Knight and Mrs. Ruth Haynes. Funeral services for her and her son, Troy, were held jointly at 4th-13th Layton LDS Ward with Bishop Merlin S. Larsen officiating. Dale is buried next to her son, Troy, but her daughter Christine's grave is located in Kaysville, Utah, with other family members of the Jeffs family.
Obituary
By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Sept. 5 2004 12:00 a.m. MDT
LAYTON — A 34-year-old murder case has been officially closed by the Layton Police Department.
Dale Jean Langston and her two children, ages 3 and 6, were found slain in their Layton home April 11, 1970. Langston was stabbed more than 33 times.
Over the past five years, Layton police detective Joe Morrison re-opened the case to give it another look because of advances in DNA technology. No one was ever convicted or served prison time for the murders. Morrison continued working on the case until his retirement last year.
But just because no one was convicted didn't mean no one was ever arrested for the crime, according to police.
Layton Police Lt. Kevin Allred said detectives discovered after going over the case files again that Dennis Baker was charged with murder in connection with the case. But Baker ended up committing suicide in his jail cell the day before his trial was scheduled to begin.
A second man, Charlie Wolford, who was accused of being an accomplice but convicted on lesser charges was eventually sentenced to prison. That man later died of natural causes, Allred said.
Allred isn't sure why the case suddenly came up again, but he believed it had already been solved more than 30 years ago.
"Everything pointed at them," he said.
Allred attributed the case being re-opened to a lack of communication between people back then and the fact that the main players who were "in the know" were now gone.
"I think it had been put to rest by anyone who knew anything about it," he said.
Nevertheless, in 2002 relatives of the slain family went on the Montel Williams show asking for the public's help in gathering information in the "unsolved" case. A best-selling psychic was also on the show saying she believed the killer was still alive.
Shirlene Renshaw, Langston's sister, said she was "thrilled" the case was solved but also a little disappointed her family had to go through the ordeal of the past five years and had old wounds re-opened.
She said the Vidocq Society had agreed this month to hear their case and she wanted that to happen. The society is an exclusive group of forensics and other crime fighting experts who agree to examine cold cases from all over the nation for free.
Allred said the department determined there was no need to have Vidocq look at their case because it was already solved. He said detectives determined the alibis of all the other potential suspects were air tight, and Vidocq didn't have time to hear a case that was closed.
------------------------------------------
Although the Layton City Police department have closed the case, that doesn't mean justice has been served or that the case is solved. It's just closed...
Dale was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the daughter of Harlen Dale and Loretta (Greenman) Leth, and graduated from Davis High School. She was married in the LDS church to Parley Hal Jeffs, and they had one daughter, Christine. On August 27, 1965, she was married for the second time to Don Ritchie Langston, in Ely, Nevada. They made their home in Layton, Utah, and together had one son, Troy. She was employed with Davis Lanes. Don was alleged to be very involved with the criminal element. Dale passed away one evening when an unknown assailant entered her home between the hours of 10:00PM and 2:00AM, and brutally stabbed her to death along with her two small children, Christine Jeffs, age 6, and Troy Langston, age 3. She is survived by her husband, Don; her father, Harlen Leth; her mother, Loretta Wineman; two sisters, Shirlene Bauett and Janet Colburln; two brothers, Dee Leth and Steven Leth; grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Greenman, Mrs. Ella Knight and Mrs. Ruth Haynes. Funeral services for her and her son, Troy, were held jointly at 4th-13th Layton LDS Ward with Bishop Merlin S. Larsen officiating. Dale is buried next to her son, Troy, but her daughter Christine's grave is located in Kaysville, Utah, with other family members of the Jeffs family.
Obituary
By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Sept. 5 2004 12:00 a.m. MDT
LAYTON — A 34-year-old murder case has been officially closed by the Layton Police Department.
Dale Jean Langston and her two children, ages 3 and 6, were found slain in their Layton home April 11, 1970. Langston was stabbed more than 33 times.
Over the past five years, Layton police detective Joe Morrison re-opened the case to give it another look because of advances in DNA technology. No one was ever convicted or served prison time for the murders. Morrison continued working on the case until his retirement last year.
But just because no one was convicted didn't mean no one was ever arrested for the crime, according to police.
Layton Police Lt. Kevin Allred said detectives discovered after going over the case files again that Dennis Baker was charged with murder in connection with the case. But Baker ended up committing suicide in his jail cell the day before his trial was scheduled to begin.
A second man, Charlie Wolford, who was accused of being an accomplice but convicted on lesser charges was eventually sentenced to prison. That man later died of natural causes, Allred said.
Allred isn't sure why the case suddenly came up again, but he believed it had already been solved more than 30 years ago.
"Everything pointed at them," he said.
Allred attributed the case being re-opened to a lack of communication between people back then and the fact that the main players who were "in the know" were now gone.
"I think it had been put to rest by anyone who knew anything about it," he said.
Nevertheless, in 2002 relatives of the slain family went on the Montel Williams show asking for the public's help in gathering information in the "unsolved" case. A best-selling psychic was also on the show saying she believed the killer was still alive.
Shirlene Renshaw, Langston's sister, said she was "thrilled" the case was solved but also a little disappointed her family had to go through the ordeal of the past five years and had old wounds re-opened.
She said the Vidocq Society had agreed this month to hear their case and she wanted that to happen. The society is an exclusive group of forensics and other crime fighting experts who agree to examine cold cases from all over the nation for free.
Allred said the department determined there was no need to have Vidocq look at their case because it was already solved. He said detectives determined the alibis of all the other potential suspects were air tight, and Vidocq didn't have time to hear a case that was closed.
------------------------------------------
Although the Layton City Police department have closed the case, that doesn't mean justice has been served or that the case is solved. It's just closed...
Unsolved Murder Victim.
Dale was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the daughter of Harlen Dale and Loretta (Greenman) Leth, and graduated from Davis High School. She was married in the LDS church to Parley Hal Jeffs, and they had one daughter, Christine. On August 27, 1965, she was married for the second time to Don Ritchie Langston, in Ely, Nevada. They made their home in Layton, Utah, and together had one son, Troy. She was employed with Davis Lanes. Don was alleged to be very involved with the criminal element. Dale passed away one evening when an unknown assailant entered her home between the hours of 10:00PM and 2:00AM, and brutally stabbed her to death along with her two small children, Christine Jeffs, age 6, and Troy Langston, age 3. She is survived by her husband, Don; her father, Harlen Leth; her mother, Loretta Wineman; two sisters, Shirlene Bauett and Janet Colburln; two brothers, Dee Leth and Steven Leth; grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Greenman, Mrs. Ella Knight and Mrs. Ruth Haynes. Funeral services for her and her son, Troy, were held jointly at 4th-13th Layton LDS Ward with Bishop Merlin S. Larsen officiating. Dale is buried next to her son, Troy, but her daughter Christine's grave is located in Kaysville, Utah, with other family members of the Jeffs family.
Obituary
By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Sept. 5 2004 12:00 a.m. MDT
LAYTON — A 34-year-old murder case has been officially closed by the Layton Police Department.
Dale Jean Langston and her two children, ages 3 and 6, were found slain in their Layton home April 11, 1970. Langston was stabbed more than 33 times.
Over the past five years, Layton police detective Joe Morrison re-opened the case to give it another look because of advances in DNA technology. No one was ever convicted or served prison time for the murders. Morrison continued working on the case until his retirement last year.
But just because no one was convicted didn't mean no one was ever arrested for the crime, according to police.
Layton Police Lt. Kevin Allred said detectives discovered after going over the case files again that Dennis Baker was charged with murder in connection with the case. But Baker ended up committing suicide in his jail cell the day before his trial was scheduled to begin.
A second man, Charlie Wolford, who was accused of being an accomplice but convicted on lesser charges was eventually sentenced to prison. That man later died of natural causes, Allred said.
Allred isn't sure why the case suddenly came up again, but he believed it had already been solved more than 30 years ago.
"Everything pointed at them," he said.
Allred attributed the case being re-opened to a lack of communication between people back then and the fact that the main players who were "in the know" were now gone.
"I think it had been put to rest by anyone who knew anything about it," he said.
Nevertheless, in 2002 relatives of the slain family went on the Montel Williams show asking for the public's help in gathering information in the "unsolved" case. A best-selling psychic was also on the show saying she believed the killer was still alive.
Shirlene Renshaw, Langston's sister, said she was "thrilled" the case was solved but also a little disappointed her family had to go through the ordeal of the past five years and had old wounds re-opened.
She said the Vidocq Society had agreed this month to hear their case and she wanted that to happen. The society is an exclusive group of forensics and other crime fighting experts who agree to examine cold cases from all over the nation for free.
Allred said the department determined there was no need to have Vidocq look at their case because it was already solved. He said detectives determined the alibis of all the other potential suspects were air tight, and Vidocq didn't have time to hear a case that was closed.
------------------------------------------
Although the Layton City Police department have closed the case, that doesn't mean justice has been served or that the case is solved. It's just closed...
Dale was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the daughter of Harlen Dale and Loretta (Greenman) Leth, and graduated from Davis High School. She was married in the LDS church to Parley Hal Jeffs, and they had one daughter, Christine. On August 27, 1965, she was married for the second time to Don Ritchie Langston, in Ely, Nevada. They made their home in Layton, Utah, and together had one son, Troy. She was employed with Davis Lanes. Don was alleged to be very involved with the criminal element. Dale passed away one evening when an unknown assailant entered her home between the hours of 10:00PM and 2:00AM, and brutally stabbed her to death along with her two small children, Christine Jeffs, age 6, and Troy Langston, age 3. She is survived by her husband, Don; her father, Harlen Leth; her mother, Loretta Wineman; two sisters, Shirlene Bauett and Janet Colburln; two brothers, Dee Leth and Steven Leth; grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Greenman, Mrs. Ella Knight and Mrs. Ruth Haynes. Funeral services for her and her son, Troy, were held jointly at 4th-13th Layton LDS Ward with Bishop Merlin S. Larsen officiating. Dale is buried next to her son, Troy, but her daughter Christine's grave is located in Kaysville, Utah, with other family members of the Jeffs family.
Obituary
By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Sept. 5 2004 12:00 a.m. MDT
LAYTON — A 34-year-old murder case has been officially closed by the Layton Police Department.
Dale Jean Langston and her two children, ages 3 and 6, were found slain in their Layton home April 11, 1970. Langston was stabbed more than 33 times.
Over the past five years, Layton police detective Joe Morrison re-opened the case to give it another look because of advances in DNA technology. No one was ever convicted or served prison time for the murders. Morrison continued working on the case until his retirement last year.
But just because no one was convicted didn't mean no one was ever arrested for the crime, according to police.
Layton Police Lt. Kevin Allred said detectives discovered after going over the case files again that Dennis Baker was charged with murder in connection with the case. But Baker ended up committing suicide in his jail cell the day before his trial was scheduled to begin.
A second man, Charlie Wolford, who was accused of being an accomplice but convicted on lesser charges was eventually sentenced to prison. That man later died of natural causes, Allred said.
Allred isn't sure why the case suddenly came up again, but he believed it had already been solved more than 30 years ago.
"Everything pointed at them," he said.
Allred attributed the case being re-opened to a lack of communication between people back then and the fact that the main players who were "in the know" were now gone.
"I think it had been put to rest by anyone who knew anything about it," he said.
Nevertheless, in 2002 relatives of the slain family went on the Montel Williams show asking for the public's help in gathering information in the "unsolved" case. A best-selling psychic was also on the show saying she believed the killer was still alive.
Shirlene Renshaw, Langston's sister, said she was "thrilled" the case was solved but also a little disappointed her family had to go through the ordeal of the past five years and had old wounds re-opened.
She said the Vidocq Society had agreed this month to hear their case and she wanted that to happen. The society is an exclusive group of forensics and other crime fighting experts who agree to examine cold cases from all over the nation for free.
Allred said the department determined there was no need to have Vidocq look at their case because it was already solved. He said detectives determined the alibis of all the other potential suspects were air tight, and Vidocq didn't have time to hear a case that was closed.
------------------------------------------
Although the Layton City Police department have closed the case, that doesn't mean justice has been served or that the case is solved. It's just closed...
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