On 22 April, 1974 a horrific crime was committed in the community of Odgen, Utah. Dale Selby Pierre and William Andrews brutally tortured five innocent people during an armed robbery.
Two out of the five survived the vicious attack, but their lives would never be the same.
Two out of the five survived the vicious attack, but their lives would never be the same.
Robbery
The robbery would soon turn to torture and murder. (Warning, the contents of this post may disturb)
On 22 April, 1974 five people were held hostage and tortured in what has come to be known as the “Hi-Fi murders”. Three people tragically lost their lives in this brutal attack.
Just before 6pm Dale Selby Pierre (22) and William Andrews (19) entered the 'Hi-Fi Shop' on Washington Boulevard, Ogden, Utah. They pointed their guns at the two employees, Stanley Walker (20) and Michelle Ansley (19).
They took the employees to the basement of the store and tied them up. They returned to the store and began to rob it of $25,000 worth of electrical equipment, which at the time was an incredibly large amount.
Before long 16 year old Cortney Naisbitt entered the store. He came to talk to Stanley and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pierre and Andrews threatened him and then tied him up in the basement with Stanley and Michelle.
Stanley’s father Orren Walker (43) started to worry that his son hadn’t come home for the night. He was long overdue. He came to check on him, and he, like all the others, was tied up and taken to the basement.
On 22 April, 1974 five people were held hostage and tortured in what has come to be known as the “Hi-Fi murders”. Three people tragically lost their lives in this brutal attack.
Just before 6pm Dale Selby Pierre (22) and William Andrews (19) entered the 'Hi-Fi Shop' on Washington Boulevard, Ogden, Utah. They pointed their guns at the two employees, Stanley Walker (20) and Michelle Ansley (19).
They took the employees to the basement of the store and tied them up. They returned to the store and began to rob it of $25,000 worth of electrical equipment, which at the time was an incredibly large amount.
Before long 16 year old Cortney Naisbitt entered the store. He came to talk to Stanley and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pierre and Andrews threatened him and then tied him up in the basement with Stanley and Michelle.
Stanley’s father Orren Walker (43) started to worry that his son hadn’t come home for the night. He was long overdue. He came to check on him, and he, like all the others, was tied up and taken to the basement.
Torture and Death
Carol Naisbitt. After talking to Pierre, Andrews went out to their van and came back to the basement with a bottle in a brown paper bag. Pierre poured a cup of the liquid, which was blue in colour. He ordered Orren to make the other hostages drink the liquid, and Orren refused. He was therefore gagged and left face down.
Finally Carol Naisbitt (52), the mother of 16 year old Cortney came into the store looking for him. She was taken to the basement, tied up and placed next to her son.
Each of the victims were propped up into sitting positions and forced to drink the liquid. They were told it was vodka laced with sleeping pills. In fact, the liquid was Drano – a liquid drain cleaner composed of sodium hydroxide and sodium hydrochloride.
The effect the drano had on the victims was to immediately blister and burn their lips, tongues and throats, peeling the flesh away from their mouths. Michelle Ansley begged for her life and was given a reprieve from the drano, but all of the other victims were forced to ingest it, and then had their mouths duct-taped closed.
Finally Carol Naisbitt (52), the mother of 16 year old Cortney came into the store looking for him. She was taken to the basement, tied up and placed next to her son.
Each of the victims were propped up into sitting positions and forced to drink the liquid. They were told it was vodka laced with sleeping pills. In fact, the liquid was Drano – a liquid drain cleaner composed of sodium hydroxide and sodium hydrochloride.
The effect the drano had on the victims was to immediately blister and burn their lips, tongues and throats, peeling the flesh away from their mouths. Michelle Ansley begged for her life and was given a reprieve from the drano, but all of the other victims were forced to ingest it, and then had their mouths duct-taped closed.
Cortney Naisbitt. Orren Walker was the last victim to be given the drain cleaner. He had seen the reaction of the other victims so instead of swallowing he allowed the poison to dribble out of his mouth, faking the convulsions and screams of the other hostages.
Pierre got the idea of this method of torture from a movie. In the scene in the 1973 Dirty Harry movie “Magnum Force” the victim is forced to drink drano and dies a magnificent, quick death. The reality was not like that at all. They were making too much noise, and their deaths were taking too long. Pierre was annoyed by now, so went up to Carol and Cortney Naisbitt and shot them both in the back of the head. He then aimed at Orren Walker and shot, but missed, and next was Stan Walker. This time he didn’t miss, and Stan was killed instantly. He tried again with Orren, grazing the back of his head.
Pierre grabbed Michelle Ansley, the 19 year old shop assistant who was working her first week at her new job, and took her to the far corner of the basement. He made her remove her clothing at gunpoint, and then proceeded to brutally rape her. He allowed her to go to the bathroom when he had finished, and then dragged her back to the rest of the hostages, still naked, threw her to the ground and shot her in the back of the head.
Pierre got the idea of this method of torture from a movie. In the scene in the 1973 Dirty Harry movie “Magnum Force” the victim is forced to drink drano and dies a magnificent, quick death. The reality was not like that at all. They were making too much noise, and their deaths were taking too long. Pierre was annoyed by now, so went up to Carol and Cortney Naisbitt and shot them both in the back of the head. He then aimed at Orren Walker and shot, but missed, and next was Stan Walker. This time he didn’t miss, and Stan was killed instantly. He tried again with Orren, grazing the back of his head.
Pierre grabbed Michelle Ansley, the 19 year old shop assistant who was working her first week at her new job, and took her to the far corner of the basement. He made her remove her clothing at gunpoint, and then proceeded to brutally rape her. He allowed her to go to the bathroom when he had finished, and then dragged her back to the rest of the hostages, still naked, threw her to the ground and shot her in the back of the head.
Stanley Walker. At this point they noticed that Orren Walker had still not died, regardless of the drano and two gunshots. Pierre then wrapped a wire around his throat and attempted to garrotte him. When that also didn’t work, he inserted a ballpoint pen into his ear and stomped on it, puncturing Orren’s eardrum. The pen exited through the side of his throat.
This done, they decided it was time to finish loading their van with their stolen goods and depart – as if all they had done was commit a robbery.
Michelle Ansley, Carol Naisbitt and Stanley Walker were dead. Cortney Naisbitt and Orren Walker were seriously injured.
This done, they decided it was time to finish loading their van with their stolen goods and depart – as if all they had done was commit a robbery.
Michelle Ansley, Carol Naisbitt and Stanley Walker were dead. Cortney Naisbitt and Orren Walker were seriously injured.
Aftermath
William Andrews in court. Three hours later, Orren Walker’s wife was wondering what was taking her husband and son so long to come home. She went to the store with another of her sons. Her son heard strange noises coming from the basement of the store, so broke down the door and found the tragic victims. They immediately called the police.
A few hours later two teenage boys were going through garbage bins near the Hill Air Force Base. They found wallets and purses and recognised the victims from seeing their photographs on the television.
The Ogden police also received an anonymous telephone call from an Air Force employee telling of how a fellow pilot named William Andrews had once confided that one day he was going to rob that Ogden Hi-Fi shop and would kill anyone who got in the way.
A few hours later two teenage boys were going through garbage bins near the Hill Air Force Base. They found wallets and purses and recognised the victims from seeing their photographs on the television.
The Ogden police also received an anonymous telephone call from an Air Force employee telling of how a fellow pilot named William Andrews had once confided that one day he was going to rob that Ogden Hi-Fi shop and would kill anyone who got in the way.
Dale Selby Pierre. The police detective who went to the scene of the crime suspected that the killers might be among the crowd of airmen gathered around, watching the proceedings. He decided to speak dramatically and overdue the evidence retrieval, at the same time, watching the reactions of those in the crowd. While he waved each piece of evidence in the air with tongs, he noticed two men reacting very differently than anyone else in the crowd. They were pacing around and speaking loudly. Police searched a public storage facility rented to the men and found the equipment from the Hi-Fi store, as well as a half empty bottle of drano. Three men were arrested and put on trial.
Pierre and Andrews were found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1987 Pierre was executed by lethal injection. Five years later Andrews was also executed at the Utah State Prison. The third man, Keith Roberts, was convicted of robbery and sent to prison, but as he was not involved in the killings, and technically did not even know about them (he waited in the getaway car) he was released from prison in 1987.
Pierre and Andrews were found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1987 Pierre was executed by lethal injection. Five years later Andrews was also executed at the Utah State Prison. The third man, Keith Roberts, was convicted of robbery and sent to prison, but as he was not involved in the killings, and technically did not even know about them (he waited in the getaway car) he was released from prison in 1987.
Peet Banks 2014
Put together by Ashley Hall
Put together by Ashley Hall
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