Destiny Norton disappearance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Destiny Anne Norten (November 30, 2000 – July 16, 2006), was a victim of kidnapping and murder. Until her death, she lived in the Salt Lake City of Utah. Her body was found fewer than 100 feet from her home in the basement of her neighbor, 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson.

On July 16, 2006, Destiny Norton, a five year old Salt Lake City child disappeared from her home.

She was last seen as she left her home after arguing with her parents about going to bed. She lived in a small ranch house with her parents, and about ten other couples and friends who shared the house for economic reasons.

Volunteers posted missing posters throughout Salt Lake City, describing her several silver capped teeth on the bottom row of her mouth, blonde and green hair, and dressed in a grey shirt with black stripes.

After a massive eight-day search by about 5,000 community volunteers , FBI and police, Destiny's body was found on July 24, 2006, less than 100 feet from her home in the basement of her neighbor, 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson. Family and friends were initially outraged after the search ended, and accused authorities of mishandling the investigation. An apology on behalf of the family and friends was later issued in a press conference.

Gregerson was formally charged on July 27, 2006 with kidnapping and aggravated murder. He waived his rights to a speedy trial, and later waived his rights to a preliminary hearing which had originally been scheduled for October 3 and October 4, 2006. In a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty, he plead guilty to capital murder and child kidnapping on December 4, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder, and fifteen years to life for the kidnapping. The sentences will be served consecutively.


[edit] Craig Roger Gregerson

Craig Roger Gregerson (born c. 1986) is the Salt Lake City, Utah man convicted of Norton's kidnapping and murder.

Gregerson grew up the seventh of eight children in a Mormon family in Orem, Utah. According to his older brother Spencer, Gregerson "just seemed like a lazy person", and Spencer does not recall him graduating from high school.

He was previously employed by Radio Shack and a number of temporary staffing agencies. He was convicted of assault in December 2004 for punching his mother-in-law in the face, and other domestic violence incidents with his wife Catherine have been reported.

Police search warrant affidavits revealed that Gregerson consented to an FBI polygraph test on July 24, 2006, and later signed a full confession, telling authorities he had been keeping the girl’s body in his basement for eight days. Gregerson reportedly told FBI agent Steve Fillerup, the polygraph examiner, that he had been planning Destiny’s abduction "for some time" and that he had "made written plans" for the crime. Gregerson reportedly lured the girl into his row house unit, where she “panicked and began to scream", then "went limp" after he gagged her. Gregerson carried the girl’s body into his basement and sexually assaulted her. He kept the body in a plastic container, and later purchased supplies to mask the odor coming from the basement.

Gregerson was charged with kidnapping and aggravated murder on July 27, 2006. Gregerson waived his rights to a speedy trial, and later waived his rights to a preliminary hearing which had originally been scheduled for October 3 and October 4, 2006. In a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty, he plead guilty to capital murder and child kidnapping on December 4, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder, and fifteen years to life for the kidnapping. The sentences will be served consecutively.

[edit] References