St. George Man Arrested In Small-Town Murder Case

Twenty-seven-year-old James Elroy Nielsen of St. George has been arrested, accused of fatally shooting a man last week in Colorado City.

The victim has been identified as Travis Lee Cooke, a Colorado City resident in his 50s, who died after being found with multiple gunshot wounds. 

Nielsen is in custody at Purgatory Correctional Facility, charged with 2nd degree murder, with no bail allowed.

According to police, they were called to the scene of the crime with reports of shots fired. When they arrived, the found Cooke with multiple gunshot wounds.

First responders attempted lifesaving measures on Cooke, but to no avail and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Through evidence obtained at the scene, including eyewitness accounts, police were able to secure the location of the suspect, Nielsen.

After obtaining a search warrant, police were able to locate and arrest Nielsen in the neighboring community of Hildale.

"The community is deeply saddened," said Hildale mayor Donia Jessop. "The situation has been handled with utmost professionalism and dedication. The safety and well-being of our residents remains our highest priority. Our hearts go out to the families that were involved."

Hildale and Colorado City are sister communities, straddling the Utah-Arizona border (Hildale in Utah, Colorado City in Arizona). Hildale has a population of about 1,400 residents, while Colorado City has about 1,800 community members.

Hildale used to be much larger -- about 3,000 residents -- before the exodus of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Much of the religious sect relocated to church-owned property in the state of Texas.

Officials aren't hinting at a motive behind the murder of Cooke, except to say that the two men, Nielsen and Cooke, knew each other prior to the incident.

The murder occurred on Apr.. 24, with the warrant for Nielsen's arrest being issued out of North County Justice Court in Arizona on April 25.

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