Christmas Murders in Utah

Christmas time in Utah is supposed to be heartwarming and filled with love and laughter, however, the state has two Christmas murders that are anything but.  

Nearly 30 years apart, two families experienced the worst Christmas of their lives because others chose to take advantage of that holiday for their own personal gain. Robbery, assault and murder are the only things these families share.  

Here are their stories: 

The Cabin Christmas Murder 

In 1990, a family of five in Oakley, UT went to a cabin high up in the mountains. The Tiede family went with two daughters, Trish (20) and Linae (16), their mother, father, and grandmother. It was three days before Christmas and the Tiede's were preparing for a fun holiday.  

While Linae, her mother and grandmother were at the cabin, Trish and her father were out on snow mobiles. That’s when Von Taylor and Edward Deli made their move.  

Linae watched her grandmother be shot at gunpoint and then her mother. She was taken hostage shortly after and the men waited for her sister and father to return.  

Rold Tiede and Trish came back and were greeted by gunpoint outside of the cabin. Rolf was shot and went down immediately, and then Trish and Linae were taken hostage. Forced to help load stolen goods onto the snowmobiles, Linae and Trish drove one each following each other down the mountain with the men riding with them.  

Their Uncle Randy had seen them drive by but fear of having him shot too kept them silent as he waved at them.  

Soon after, Rolf came by on a snowmobile wearing nothing but regular clothing and was covered in blood. Randy took stock of the situation and attempted to call 911. However, the reception was not great. After several attempts, he was able to get ahold of dispatch and told them he needed a helicopter and that his two nieces taken hostage.  

At this point, Trish and Linae had been taken to the family car where the two men made them get in and drive down the mountain.  

The car veered off an embankment and cops pulled up pointing guns at Linae and Trish along with the two men. Taylor and Deli surrendered, and the sisters were safe, not realizing their father was still alive. Later that year, all three of the survivors, Trish, Linae, and their father Rolf were witnesses in court.  

Read the full harrowing story here. 

An Ogden Christmas Murder 

Three individuals attempted to rob a family home in the early hours of Christmas morning in 2020 in Ogden, UT ruining the lives of a family of six. 16-year-old Rayburn Jimm Bennett was one of those three attempted robbers who shot and killed Trevor Martin in front of his four daughters. The mother, Angela Rowley, was also shot but survived with multiple surgeries.  

Bennett was sentenced to 15 years in prison for murder this October.