A crack in a four decade old cold case after murder charges filed in 1979 Holladay killing

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – In 1979, Jack Richardson, a 54-year-old who used a wheelchair, was found shot and killed in his Holladay home. Police say he was targeted in a robbery.
Investigators had identified two suspects back them, but haven’t charged them until now.

Jack Richardson’s wife, his children and the rest of his family never thought they’d see this day.

It was Unified Police departments cold case unit who recently reopened Richardson’s murder investigation.

Salt lake City’s District Attorney Sam Gill said the officers had followed appropriate procedure back in 1979. They got the court warrant to find Hector Brito and Pascual Alfonseca, but the two men had fled out of the state dressed as women and they weren’t found. The warrant was dropped in 1991.

Now with new legal procedures in place and more information gathered, the district attorney’s office has filed murder charge. Local police say they’ll now have more help from federal investigators.

“The thing that hurts me most is knowing that they could have pushed him over in his wheelchair. They could have done anything but they didn’t have to shoot him,” said one of Richardson’s daughters during the press conference.

“It’s like could it really be true? Could we put this to an end? because we’ve waited so long. Not a day goes by that we don’t miss him,” said Karin Johnstone, Richardson’s oldest daughter who is now older than her father when he passed away.

At a press conference Friday, police say the men are most likely using aliases and they would be in their 50s now. They could be out of state, even out of country.
If you have any information on where Hector Brito or Pascual Alfonseca are you’re urged to call police.

The family would love to have some closure about their loved ones.