The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the custody of Darrel Eugene Choate, a suspect in the 1972 murder of Gregory Dahl Nickell. Choate, a 74-year-old Tooele resident, was arrested 52 years to the day after the killing of the army veteran, as detailed by ABC4. The arrest occurred following the issuance of an arrest warrant on November 1st, with the delay purportedly on account of the suspect's medical issues.
In a case that had gone cold for decades, DNA advancements played a key role in identifying Choate and his supposed accomplice, Daniel Arthur Bell. Choate has now been charged with first-degree felony murder, alleged to have participated in not only the murder of Nickell but also the kidnapping and rape of Nickell's date. According to KSL NewsRadio, Nickell and the woman were attacked while parked at a rest stop on Highway 40, by a gunman who then commanded the car, driving them to a separate location followed by a vehicle operated by another man.
The woman who was with Nickell managed to survive the ordeal, but the haunting event remained unresolved until authorities could finally put a name and face to the alleged perpetrators. The case has resurfaced not just a name, but a call to the public for any information on Choate, who turned 22 at the time of the murder. As reported by KSL, the Uintah County Sheriff's Office is eager to gather more information about Choate's acquaintances and any possibly relevant details that might have been overlooked or undisclosed in the years since the crime.
