Episode 236: Sidney Ann Merrick
The First Degree - A podcast by Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek, Billy Jensen
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On Monday, September 26th, 1983, 21-year-old Sidney Ann Merrick drives from Salt Lake City to Park City, Utah, to run an errand for her boss. While heading eastbound on I-80, Sidney’s car breaks down. Less than an hour later, Sidney’s body is discovered on an off-ramp near Parleys Summit. She’s been stabbed to death. Eyewitnesses traveling along the freeway place 33-year-old Wesley Allen Tuttle at the scene. Tuttle is apprehended while trying to flee the country and swiftly convicted of first-degree murder. Shortly after, Tuttle escapes prison for five months. Then, the Utah Supreme Court changes Tuttle’s conviction to second-degree murder and significantly reduce his sentence. But, in 2008, new DNA testing proves Tuttle sexually assaulted and murdered another young woman: 14-year-old Lisa Lynne Chambers. In episode 236, Jac and Alexis explain how Wesley Allen Tuttle nearly escaped prison, the court system, and justice for over 25 years.
