By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
A preliminary hearing in the case of a woman whose body
was found eight years ago in Juab County was held on Monday,
Nov. 8, and her husband Howell Williams was bound over on
1st degree homicide charges.
Juab County Sheriff David Carter said the woman was
identified as Barbara Kaye Williams in testimony he gave at
the preliminary hearing held in Fourth District Court in
Nephi before Judge Ray M. Harding.
"The Williams left Florida in 1990 but the missing person
report was not filed until 1997," said Carter. "We found the
nude body of Barbara Kaye Williams March 22, 1991, near the
I-15 Mills Junction exit."
Howell Williams was charged in Florida on March 3, 1999,
with aggravated murder in the death of his wife. He was
extradited to Juab County to face the charge.
Milt Harmon, a Nephi attorney, was appointed in March to
serve as counsel for Howell.
Monday at the preliminary hearing Harmon requested the
first degree murder charge be reduced to 2nd degree felony
manslaughter. Harding denied the motion.
A trial date was not set. It will be calendared soon.
“At the time the body was found in Juab County, a
missing person report had not been filed,” said Carter.
“No one was looking for her at the time.”
The Williams couple had moved from Florida to Salt Lake
City prior to the death of Barbara Kaye Williams. Carter
said the woman's mother had talked to law enforcement
officers in Florida a few times because she was concerned
that she had not heard from her daughter for some time. "Her
mother had talked to the sheriff but had not filed a
report.”
"A break in the case came when Agent Bill Gootee, with
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, started working
on old cases in Florida," said Sheriff Carter.
Carter said Gootee had contacted him on Feb. 10,
1999.
"He let us know that our unidentified body and the
missing woman could, possibly, be the same person. He said
the weight, size and physical characteristics of both the
body and the missing woman led him to think they could be a
match."
Using the fingerprint identification collected by Juab
County Sheriff's Department and matching it to the finger
prints Florida had of Barbara Kaye Williams, said Carter,
Millard County Deputy Sheriff Jim Massner, who is a
recognized fingerprint expert, came up with a positive
match.
"Agent Gootee sent us the fingerprints of Mrs. Williams
by mail and Deputy Massner had fingerprints of the body
taken at the time the body was found.”
A homicide detective in Salt Lake City, Detective Mark
Scharman, shared the information Salt Lake City Police had
with Juab County. "That was also a big help to us," Carter
said.
Carter said he, Deputy Justin Kimball and Millard County
Detective John Kimball went to Florida. "We spent three days
there," said Carter.
On March 3, Williams was officially charged with the
murder of his wife. Williams was incarcerated in a Florida
jail at the time he was charged where he was being held for
parole violation.
Juab County Deputy Justin Kimball also testified on
Monday. He had traveled with Carter to Salt Lake City,
Tucson, Arizona, and to Florida. He testified to the
information he had learned in the various places.
Lt. John Kimball, Millard County Sheriff’s Office,
said he had been involved in the case from the beginning.
The Millard County Sheriff’s Office had been interested
in the case because they had a similar case and, at first,
thought the two might be connected.
Sgt. Jim Massner, Millard County Sheriff’s Office,
said he took fingerprints from the body of Barbara Kaye
Williams at the scene where she was found in 1991. He also
was one of the experts who made the match between the
fingerprints he had taken of the body and known fingerprints
of the victim made while she was living.
"This case had really bothered me for eight years," said
Carter. “I am happy that we are finally bringing the
case to trial.”
There is still one unidentified female body found in Juab
County to account for, he said. A woman was found dead near
Yuba Lake in 1978. "It has been 21 years since her body was
discovered&emdash;I wasn’t even sheriff then&emdash;and
we still have no clues as to her identity."
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