Lee W. Parker, 49, died May 21, 1997, in Midvale, Utah.
Born Jan. 20, 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edward Hyrum and Lottie Ray Parker. Married Maxine Mecham in Murray, Utah on Aug. 11, 1967; later solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was a High Priest in the LDS Church. Employed by the U.S. Postal Service. He was loved and admired by his family.Survived by wife, Maxine; sons, John (Candice); Sam (Leslie); daughters, Christa (Steve) Romero; Emily (Lee) O'Brien; and Anna; grandchildren, Michael and Warren; mother, Lottie Parker; brothers, Jim (Carole); Ed (Claudia); sisters, Mary (Delbert) Webster; Della Ontiveros; Colleen Parker; Nancy Hatt; Gloria (Barry) Johnson; and his twin sister, Lynne (Ron) Romrell. Preceded in death by a brother, Tim.
Funeral services Saturday, May 24, 1997, at 11 a.m. at the Copperview Ward Chapel, 8825 South 150 West. Friends may call Friday, 6-8 p.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State, and Saturday 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment, Sandy City Cemetery.
Deseret News 5-22-1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I-15 gun victim `nicest man in world'
By Cala Byram, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, May 22 1997 12:00 a.m. MDT
When Lee Parker faced a promotion that included night work, he told his boss he'd rather spend time with his family.
"That is the kind of man Lee Parker was," his boss, Sam Rudin, said. "You don't find that kind of honesty and integrity anymore."Parker's friends and family remember him as an honorable and loving man whose life had no contact with the kind of violence that killed him. The 20-year postal employee and father of five was shot early Wednesday on an I-15 onramp on his way to work.
What led to the shooting is still unknown. Investigators say it appears Parker's car was stopped near the end of the 7200 South onramp to northbound I-15 about 4:30 a.m. when he was shot. The Utah Department of Public Safety's investigative division, which is handling the homicide, screened the case with prosecutors Thursday morning.
Based on Parker's soft-spoken personality, family members say the shooting could not havie been fueled by a confrontation.
"He was the nicest man in the entire world," said his niece, Stephanie Johnson, 21, Midvale. "He was such a good man. He couldn't have instigated any fight."
Investigators are trying to piece together how Parker and the shooter crossed paths. The onramp has two lanes that eventually merge into one.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Werhli said the first call to police dispatch indicated there was a vehicle turned the wrong way on the onramp, which may mean the suspect pulled in front of Parker and blocked his path.
Bullet casings at the scene and the three shots that hit Parker - in the head, the shoulder and the elbow - indicate they were fired from close range when the car was stopped.
It appears the bullet that hit Parker in the shoulder also went through his lung, a major artery and his spinal cord.
Another man was shot at when he pulled alongside the scene. He was uninjured.
"To shoot seven times, you've got to be (en)raged. You've got to be outraged," Wehrli said. "I don't know why (Parker was shot). I don't think anybody does."
The Utah Highway Patrol arrested a man about four hours after the shooting near Fillmore, Millard County. He led troopers on a chase in a stolen car before being apprehended.
Jose Garcia Miramontes, 20, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail late Wednesday for investigation of murder, attempted murder and vehicle theft.
Little is known about Mira-montes. Officials say he's a Mexican national who's been in Utah for about a year on a green card.
Police said he was in a gang in California, and Utah gang detectives are also familiar with him. On jail-booking records, he lists a West Valley address.
Court records indicate Mira-montes was charged with agggravated assault last September in West Valley City. That case was dismissed last month for lack of witnesses.
Wehrli said the man is being uncooperative.
Sam Parker said his father was a peaceful, kind person who liked working with his hands. He made wooden birdhouses and had begun child-size rocking chairs for three grandchildren due in July. Lee Parker and his wife of almost 30 years, Maxine, were already the grandparents of two small boys.
Rudin was emotional as he remembered his friend. "He was the epitome of a wonderful man."
For 20 years, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service's Auxiliary Service Facility, 2100 S. Redwood Road, where he was a machine operator.
When he didn't arrive for his 4:30 a.m. shift Wednesday, a colleague called his home because it was unlike Parker to be late. Co-workers said he always had a kind word for those he worked with in the busy, noisy plant.
The bishop of his LDS ward said Parker was always willing to help and inspired others.
"I can't say enough good things about him," David Charlesworth said. "He was just a great, loving man, full of service."
It was shortly after the shooting that a gold Chevrolet Beretta matching the description of the suspect's vehicle was abandoned in Murray. A 9mm automatic handgun was found in the car, Murray Police Sgt. Gerry Christensen said.
About 5 a.m., Miramontes banged on the door of a friend's apartment at 4400 S. Fairbourne Ave. (195 East), Christensen said. He and the woman who answered the door began fighting, and the woman called police. Miramontes and a 22-year-old man who also lived in the apartment then jumped a fence, Christensen said.
Beth Burns' had just put her suitcase in her idling Cadillac in her driveway and walked back into the house to get her purse when she saw two men jump in her car and drive away.
Once Burns called police about her stolen car, law enforcement agencies across the state were notified to watch for the gray Cadillac.
About 8 a.m., a trooper spotted the car in Millard County. When the trooper turned on his flashing lights, the car's driver sped up the vehicle, leading to the chase and eventual capture of Miramontes.
The man was alone in the car when he was arrested. UHP Lt. Verdi White II said police are still looking for the 22-year-old friend.
Deseret News Publishing Company
Born Jan. 20, 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edward Hyrum and Lottie Ray Parker. Married Maxine Mecham in Murray, Utah on Aug. 11, 1967; later solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was a High Priest in the LDS Church. Employed by the U.S. Postal Service. He was loved and admired by his family.Survived by wife, Maxine; sons, John (Candice); Sam (Leslie); daughters, Christa (Steve) Romero; Emily (Lee) O'Brien; and Anna; grandchildren, Michael and Warren; mother, Lottie Parker; brothers, Jim (Carole); Ed (Claudia); sisters, Mary (Delbert) Webster; Della Ontiveros; Colleen Parker; Nancy Hatt; Gloria (Barry) Johnson; and his twin sister, Lynne (Ron) Romrell. Preceded in death by a brother, Tim.
Funeral services Saturday, May 24, 1997, at 11 a.m. at the Copperview Ward Chapel, 8825 South 150 West. Friends may call Friday, 6-8 p.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State, and Saturday 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment, Sandy City Cemetery.
Deseret News 5-22-1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I-15 gun victim `nicest man in world'
By Cala Byram, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, May 22 1997 12:00 a.m. MDT
When Lee Parker faced a promotion that included night work, he told his boss he'd rather spend time with his family.
"That is the kind of man Lee Parker was," his boss, Sam Rudin, said. "You don't find that kind of honesty and integrity anymore."Parker's friends and family remember him as an honorable and loving man whose life had no contact with the kind of violence that killed him. The 20-year postal employee and father of five was shot early Wednesday on an I-15 onramp on his way to work.
What led to the shooting is still unknown. Investigators say it appears Parker's car was stopped near the end of the 7200 South onramp to northbound I-15 about 4:30 a.m. when he was shot. The Utah Department of Public Safety's investigative division, which is handling the homicide, screened the case with prosecutors Thursday morning.
Based on Parker's soft-spoken personality, family members say the shooting could not havie been fueled by a confrontation.
"He was the nicest man in the entire world," said his niece, Stephanie Johnson, 21, Midvale. "He was such a good man. He couldn't have instigated any fight."
Investigators are trying to piece together how Parker and the shooter crossed paths. The onramp has two lanes that eventually merge into one.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Werhli said the first call to police dispatch indicated there was a vehicle turned the wrong way on the onramp, which may mean the suspect pulled in front of Parker and blocked his path.
Bullet casings at the scene and the three shots that hit Parker - in the head, the shoulder and the elbow - indicate they were fired from close range when the car was stopped.
It appears the bullet that hit Parker in the shoulder also went through his lung, a major artery and his spinal cord.
Another man was shot at when he pulled alongside the scene. He was uninjured.
"To shoot seven times, you've got to be (en)raged. You've got to be outraged," Wehrli said. "I don't know why (Parker was shot). I don't think anybody does."
The Utah Highway Patrol arrested a man about four hours after the shooting near Fillmore, Millard County. He led troopers on a chase in a stolen car before being apprehended.
Jose Garcia Miramontes, 20, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail late Wednesday for investigation of murder, attempted murder and vehicle theft.
Little is known about Mira-montes. Officials say he's a Mexican national who's been in Utah for about a year on a green card.
Police said he was in a gang in California, and Utah gang detectives are also familiar with him. On jail-booking records, he lists a West Valley address.
Court records indicate Mira-montes was charged with agggravated assault last September in West Valley City. That case was dismissed last month for lack of witnesses.
Wehrli said the man is being uncooperative.
Sam Parker said his father was a peaceful, kind person who liked working with his hands. He made wooden birdhouses and had begun child-size rocking chairs for three grandchildren due in July. Lee Parker and his wife of almost 30 years, Maxine, were already the grandparents of two small boys.
Rudin was emotional as he remembered his friend. "He was the epitome of a wonderful man."
For 20 years, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service's Auxiliary Service Facility, 2100 S. Redwood Road, where he was a machine operator.
When he didn't arrive for his 4:30 a.m. shift Wednesday, a colleague called his home because it was unlike Parker to be late. Co-workers said he always had a kind word for those he worked with in the busy, noisy plant.
The bishop of his LDS ward said Parker was always willing to help and inspired others.
"I can't say enough good things about him," David Charlesworth said. "He was just a great, loving man, full of service."
It was shortly after the shooting that a gold Chevrolet Beretta matching the description of the suspect's vehicle was abandoned in Murray. A 9mm automatic handgun was found in the car, Murray Police Sgt. Gerry Christensen said.
About 5 a.m., Miramontes banged on the door of a friend's apartment at 4400 S. Fairbourne Ave. (195 East), Christensen said. He and the woman who answered the door began fighting, and the woman called police. Miramontes and a 22-year-old man who also lived in the apartment then jumped a fence, Christensen said.
Beth Burns' had just put her suitcase in her idling Cadillac in her driveway and walked back into the house to get her purse when she saw two men jump in her car and drive away.
Once Burns called police about her stolen car, law enforcement agencies across the state were notified to watch for the gray Cadillac.
About 8 a.m., a trooper spotted the car in Millard County. When the trooper turned on his flashing lights, the car's driver sped up the vehicle, leading to the chase and eventual capture of Miramontes.
The man was alone in the car when he was arrested. UHP Lt. Verdi White II said police are still looking for the 22-year-old friend.
Deseret News Publishing Company
Lee W. Parker, 49, died May 21, 1997, in Midvale, Utah.
Born Jan. 20, 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edward Hyrum and Lottie Ray Parker. Married Maxine Mecham in Murray, Utah on Aug. 11, 1967; later solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was a High Priest in the LDS Church. Employed by the U.S. Postal Service. He was loved and admired by his family.Survived by wife, Maxine; sons, John (Candice); Sam (Leslie); daughters, Christa (Steve) Romero; Emily (Lee) O'Brien; and Anna; grandchildren, Michael and Warren; mother, Lottie Parker; brothers, Jim (Carole); Ed (Claudia); sisters, Mary (Delbert) Webster; Della Ontiveros; Colleen Parker; Nancy Hatt; Gloria (Barry) Johnson; and his twin sister, Lynne (Ron) Romrell. Preceded in death by a brother, Tim.
Funeral services Saturday, May 24, 1997, at 11 a.m. at the Copperview Ward Chapel, 8825 South 150 West. Friends may call Friday, 6-8 p.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State, and Saturday 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment, Sandy City Cemetery.
Deseret News 5-22-1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I-15 gun victim `nicest man in world'
By Cala Byram, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, May 22 1997 12:00 a.m. MDT
When Lee Parker faced a promotion that included night work, he told his boss he'd rather spend time with his family.
"That is the kind of man Lee Parker was," his boss, Sam Rudin, said. "You don't find that kind of honesty and integrity anymore."Parker's friends and family remember him as an honorable and loving man whose life had no contact with the kind of violence that killed him. The 20-year postal employee and father of five was shot early Wednesday on an I-15 onramp on his way to work.
What led to the shooting is still unknown. Investigators say it appears Parker's car was stopped near the end of the 7200 South onramp to northbound I-15 about 4:30 a.m. when he was shot. The Utah Department of Public Safety's investigative division, which is handling the homicide, screened the case with prosecutors Thursday morning.
Based on Parker's soft-spoken personality, family members say the shooting could not havie been fueled by a confrontation.
"He was the nicest man in the entire world," said his niece, Stephanie Johnson, 21, Midvale. "He was such a good man. He couldn't have instigated any fight."
Investigators are trying to piece together how Parker and the shooter crossed paths. The onramp has two lanes that eventually merge into one.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Werhli said the first call to police dispatch indicated there was a vehicle turned the wrong way on the onramp, which may mean the suspect pulled in front of Parker and blocked his path.
Bullet casings at the scene and the three shots that hit Parker - in the head, the shoulder and the elbow - indicate they were fired from close range when the car was stopped.
It appears the bullet that hit Parker in the shoulder also went through his lung, a major artery and his spinal cord.
Another man was shot at when he pulled alongside the scene. He was uninjured.
"To shoot seven times, you've got to be (en)raged. You've got to be outraged," Wehrli said. "I don't know why (Parker was shot). I don't think anybody does."
The Utah Highway Patrol arrested a man about four hours after the shooting near Fillmore, Millard County. He led troopers on a chase in a stolen car before being apprehended.
Jose Garcia Miramontes, 20, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail late Wednesday for investigation of murder, attempted murder and vehicle theft.
Little is known about Mira-montes. Officials say he's a Mexican national who's been in Utah for about a year on a green card.
Police said he was in a gang in California, and Utah gang detectives are also familiar with him. On jail-booking records, he lists a West Valley address.
Court records indicate Mira-montes was charged with agggravated assault last September in West Valley City. That case was dismissed last month for lack of witnesses.
Wehrli said the man is being uncooperative.
Sam Parker said his father was a peaceful, kind person who liked working with his hands. He made wooden birdhouses and had begun child-size rocking chairs for three grandchildren due in July. Lee Parker and his wife of almost 30 years, Maxine, were already the grandparents of two small boys.
Rudin was emotional as he remembered his friend. "He was the epitome of a wonderful man."
For 20 years, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service's Auxiliary Service Facility, 2100 S. Redwood Road, where he was a machine operator.
When he didn't arrive for his 4:30 a.m. shift Wednesday, a colleague called his home because it was unlike Parker to be late. Co-workers said he always had a kind word for those he worked with in the busy, noisy plant.
The bishop of his LDS ward said Parker was always willing to help and inspired others.
"I can't say enough good things about him," David Charlesworth said. "He was just a great, loving man, full of service."
It was shortly after the shooting that a gold Chevrolet Beretta matching the description of the suspect's vehicle was abandoned in Murray. A 9mm automatic handgun was found in the car, Murray Police Sgt. Gerry Christensen said.
About 5 a.m., Miramontes banged on the door of a friend's apartment at 4400 S. Fairbourne Ave. (195 East), Christensen said. He and the woman who answered the door began fighting, and the woman called police. Miramontes and a 22-year-old man who also lived in the apartment then jumped a fence, Christensen said.
Beth Burns' had just put her suitcase in her idling Cadillac in her driveway and walked back into the house to get her purse when she saw two men jump in her car and drive away.
Once Burns called police about her stolen car, law enforcement agencies across the state were notified to watch for the gray Cadillac.
About 8 a.m., a trooper spotted the car in Millard County. When the trooper turned on his flashing lights, the car's driver sped up the vehicle, leading to the chase and eventual capture of Miramontes.
The man was alone in the car when he was arrested. UHP Lt. Verdi White II said police are still looking for the 22-year-old friend.
Deseret News Publishing Company
Born Jan. 20, 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edward Hyrum and Lottie Ray Parker. Married Maxine Mecham in Murray, Utah on Aug. 11, 1967; later solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was a High Priest in the LDS Church. Employed by the U.S. Postal Service. He was loved and admired by his family.Survived by wife, Maxine; sons, John (Candice); Sam (Leslie); daughters, Christa (Steve) Romero; Emily (Lee) O'Brien; and Anna; grandchildren, Michael and Warren; mother, Lottie Parker; brothers, Jim (Carole); Ed (Claudia); sisters, Mary (Delbert) Webster; Della Ontiveros; Colleen Parker; Nancy Hatt; Gloria (Barry) Johnson; and his twin sister, Lynne (Ron) Romrell. Preceded in death by a brother, Tim.
Funeral services Saturday, May 24, 1997, at 11 a.m. at the Copperview Ward Chapel, 8825 South 150 West. Friends may call Friday, 6-8 p.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State, and Saturday 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment, Sandy City Cemetery.
Deseret News 5-22-1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I-15 gun victim `nicest man in world'
By Cala Byram, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, May 22 1997 12:00 a.m. MDT
When Lee Parker faced a promotion that included night work, he told his boss he'd rather spend time with his family.
"That is the kind of man Lee Parker was," his boss, Sam Rudin, said. "You don't find that kind of honesty and integrity anymore."Parker's friends and family remember him as an honorable and loving man whose life had no contact with the kind of violence that killed him. The 20-year postal employee and father of five was shot early Wednesday on an I-15 onramp on his way to work.
What led to the shooting is still unknown. Investigators say it appears Parker's car was stopped near the end of the 7200 South onramp to northbound I-15 about 4:30 a.m. when he was shot. The Utah Department of Public Safety's investigative division, which is handling the homicide, screened the case with prosecutors Thursday morning.
Based on Parker's soft-spoken personality, family members say the shooting could not havie been fueled by a confrontation.
"He was the nicest man in the entire world," said his niece, Stephanie Johnson, 21, Midvale. "He was such a good man. He couldn't have instigated any fight."
Investigators are trying to piece together how Parker and the shooter crossed paths. The onramp has two lanes that eventually merge into one.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Werhli said the first call to police dispatch indicated there was a vehicle turned the wrong way on the onramp, which may mean the suspect pulled in front of Parker and blocked his path.
Bullet casings at the scene and the three shots that hit Parker - in the head, the shoulder and the elbow - indicate they were fired from close range when the car was stopped.
It appears the bullet that hit Parker in the shoulder also went through his lung, a major artery and his spinal cord.
Another man was shot at when he pulled alongside the scene. He was uninjured.
"To shoot seven times, you've got to be (en)raged. You've got to be outraged," Wehrli said. "I don't know why (Parker was shot). I don't think anybody does."
The Utah Highway Patrol arrested a man about four hours after the shooting near Fillmore, Millard County. He led troopers on a chase in a stolen car before being apprehended.
Jose Garcia Miramontes, 20, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail late Wednesday for investigation of murder, attempted murder and vehicle theft.
Little is known about Mira-montes. Officials say he's a Mexican national who's been in Utah for about a year on a green card.
Police said he was in a gang in California, and Utah gang detectives are also familiar with him. On jail-booking records, he lists a West Valley address.
Court records indicate Mira-montes was charged with agggravated assault last September in West Valley City. That case was dismissed last month for lack of witnesses.
Wehrli said the man is being uncooperative.
Sam Parker said his father was a peaceful, kind person who liked working with his hands. He made wooden birdhouses and had begun child-size rocking chairs for three grandchildren due in July. Lee Parker and his wife of almost 30 years, Maxine, were already the grandparents of two small boys.
Rudin was emotional as he remembered his friend. "He was the epitome of a wonderful man."
For 20 years, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service's Auxiliary Service Facility, 2100 S. Redwood Road, where he was a machine operator.
When he didn't arrive for his 4:30 a.m. shift Wednesday, a colleague called his home because it was unlike Parker to be late. Co-workers said he always had a kind word for those he worked with in the busy, noisy plant.
The bishop of his LDS ward said Parker was always willing to help and inspired others.
"I can't say enough good things about him," David Charlesworth said. "He was just a great, loving man, full of service."
It was shortly after the shooting that a gold Chevrolet Beretta matching the description of the suspect's vehicle was abandoned in Murray. A 9mm automatic handgun was found in the car, Murray Police Sgt. Gerry Christensen said.
About 5 a.m., Miramontes banged on the door of a friend's apartment at 4400 S. Fairbourne Ave. (195 East), Christensen said. He and the woman who answered the door began fighting, and the woman called police. Miramontes and a 22-year-old man who also lived in the apartment then jumped a fence, Christensen said.
Beth Burns' had just put her suitcase in her idling Cadillac in her driveway and walked back into the house to get her purse when she saw two men jump in her car and drive away.
Once Burns called police about her stolen car, law enforcement agencies across the state were notified to watch for the gray Cadillac.
About 8 a.m., a trooper spotted the car in Millard County. When the trooper turned on his flashing lights, the car's driver sped up the vehicle, leading to the chase and eventual capture of Miramontes.
The man was alone in the car when he was arrested. UHP Lt. Verdi White II said police are still looking for the 22-year-old friend.
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