Did they stage a home invasion to murder his father? | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you
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it was around 7 45 pm on Monday November 16 2009 when a 9-1-1 operator in Utah picked up a call from a woman named
Pamela Mortensen she explained that she and her husband had just survived a home invasion at a
house belonging to Pamela's father-in-law Kay Mortensen Pamela said the perpetrators had tied
her and her husband up in the living room while telling them Kaye was restrained on the second floor
Pamela seemed unable to recall how many offenders were involved hesitating as she said
[Music] um there could have been three she explained they had been ordered not to look at The Intruders so she couldn't
describe their features Pamela also claimed it had been too dark for her to see what kind of car they
were driving when asked if The Intruders had been white Black Or Hispanic Pamela replied
in a slightly terse tone ma'am I don't know the operator found the call strange for someone who had just lived through
such a traumatic experience Pamela's voice was calm and steady her answers were also vague and
unhelpful Pamela said that she thought her father-in-law might be dead but she wasn't sure
the operator asked to speak to Pamela's husband Roger Mortensen instead when Roger took the phone he said there
had been two Intruders and both were white they had stolen his driver's license from his wallet and threatened to harm
Roger and his family if he called the police Roger explained that after The Intruders
left and he'd escaped his restraints he went upstairs to find his father Kay Mortensen was on the bathroom floor
cold to the touch Roger remarked a matter of factly he's leaned over facing forward in the
bathtub with his throat sliced with a butcher knife all the way up the operator asked if Roger knew why
anyone would want to harm Kaye Roger answered yeah he's rich [Music] [Music] [Music]
deputies from the county sheriff's department were dispatched to Kay mortensen's address near Payson Utah
the lodge house sat on a hill at the end of a winding driveway and it was one of
two houses owned by 70 year old Kaye he and his wife Darla spent most of their time at their primary residence in
Saint George about 250 miles south near the Arizona border but they usually checked in on the
Payson property about twice a month lately they hadn't been there much at all both K and Darla were devoted members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints three weeks earlier they'd completed an
18-month Mission together at Fort Cove Utah the older couple had only been married
for about three years and had bonded over their dedication to their Church K's 48 year old son Roger the eldest of
his three adult children lived near the Payson residence and had been checking on it often while they were away
shortly after Kaye and adala finished their mission K went to stay at the house while dala went to look after her
granddaughters in Salt Lake City which was about an hour away dala was due to rejoin her husband to
later that night and then she and Kay had been planning to return to their Saint George residence the next day
K's son Roger and his 34 year old wife Pamela told investigators that that was why they'd decided to go over that
evening they thought it might be nice to spend some time with Kay and adala before they
left Pamela had phoned Darla's cell phone and asked if they'd like to play board games
later that evening dollar agreed Pamela had received a pecan pie at work earlier that day and knowing it was
Kay's favorite she and Roger decided to bring it with them Roger and Pamela provided a more
detailed version of this story they'd shared with 9-1-1 prior to going to Kay's house they had
tried calling his landline and his cell phone both calls went unanswered this wasn't unusual as sometimes K would
doze off and not hear his phones Roger and Pamela drove over with the pecan pie just as dusk was falling
when they arrived at Kay's house they noticed an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway
Roger identified it as a compact hatchback star vehicle that was dark in color possibly blue
lights were on inside the house figuring that perhaps K had company over and that's why he had an answer to the
phone Roger and Pamela knocked on the door it was answered by an unfamiliar young
white male who the couple said they thought was a handyman Kay had been having issues with his
internet connection lately and was also planning on replacing some carpet Pamela assumed the man was there to help
with one of those tasks Pamela asked if Kay was home and the man said yes he was upstairs
Pamela explained that they were there to drop off a pie and the man replied go ahead
Pamela and Roger entered the home and Pamela made her way up a set of interior steps that led inside
then she heard the man asked her to come back down as the front door clicked shut
behind her at the same time a second man appeared on the staircase that led to the first
floor and began walking towards them in his hands were a number of zip ties and a black semi-automatic handgun
you're in the wrong place at the wrong time he told the couple he ordered them to bind each other's
wrists with the zip ties before marching them into Kay's living room according to Roger and Pamela they were
clean-cut white men aged in their early to mid-20s and addressed in Levi jeans and t-shirts
both had short hair that appeared to have been dyed black and mustaches or goatees
the couple said they looked the same Roger believed they were the same height and size as him making them around five
foot nine and between 150 to 165 pounds Roger tried to bargain with the man begging
just let us leave let us take our pecan pie and leave but the men refused making the couple
kneel on the living room floor in front of the television instead then they bound their ankles with the
zip ties as well when Pamela asked where K was they told her he was restrained upstairs
the couple said The Intruders were almost polite Roger had a back injury and they checked
that he was comfortable as they restrained him but they were threatening as well
they rummaged through the couple's Pockets confiscating their cell phones and IDs
at one point one of the men said that because Roger and Pamela had seen their faces they would have to kill them
[Music] Pamela felt panicked until she noticed a picture of Jesus Christ that Kaye had
hanging on the wall being a woman of Faith the pitcher gave her comfort she began praying silently to God
repeating the words if you're there save me soon the two men headed outside leaving
the couple alone in the living room there was a large window in the room that looked out over the east side of
the property Pamela gazed out the window and saw a figure standing outside in the dimming
light holding what looked like a broom the figure noticed Pam looking and to gestured for her to look away
she did so and told Roger he should also keep his head down the couple said they were left alone in
the room for between 30 and 45 minutes at one point Roger started to pray aloud like his father he was a member of the
LDS Church eventually the two men returned Pamela nudged a Roger indicating he should be quiet due to the man's
presence Roger stopped but the man told him to continue then they folded their arms across their
chests and bowed their heads which was the traditional praying stance in the LDS Faith while listening in silence
when Roger finished his prayer one of the men pulled up a bar stool and sat down in front of the couple
he began peppering them with questions asking if they knew of any visitors Kay might be expecting
they told him K's wife Darla would be coming home soon the man looked unfazed and unsurprised
to hear this then he asked if Roger and Pamela had any children and whether anyone was
waiting for them to return home these questions made Roger and Pamela nervous it sounded like their lives were hanging
in the balance depending on how they answered but something had shifted in the man's
demeanor after hearing Roger pray he said they had decided to let the couple go he told them they should tell the police
that three black men were responsible for the crime and Captain Rogers driver's license so he had his home
address if Roger told the police the truth the man warned quote we will hurt your family
Roger and Pamela told the sheriff's deputies about this script they had been told to follow and said that was why
their 9-1-1 call had been odd they weren't sure whether to tell the truth or their attacker's story
after the two men fled the property in the blue hatchback Roger and Pamela had waited about 45 minutes before removing
their bindings they said they were scared that the men might come back Pamela said she had first wriggled out
of the zip ties on her wrist then reached into Roger's pocket for his keys because he kept a pocket knife on his
keychain she then used the knife to cut off Roger's tires and to the ones around
their ankles once they were freed Pamela picked up a nearby phone to call 9-1-1 while Roger
checked on his father first he looked out a window by the front door to make sure the intruder's
car was gone then he locked the door and jammed a stick in another sliding glass
door to prevent anyone from entering after this he finally headed upstairs Pamela was speaking to the 911 operator
when Roger found his father's body in a small bathroom K was kneeling over the bathtub which
had a sliding glass door as well as a deep slash to case throat he had been stabbed in the back of their
neck the murder weapon a sharp kitchen knife with a Long blood-stained Blade was
lying in the bathtub the knife had been taken from Kay's own kitchen Roger went back downstairs to tell
Pamela that Kaye was dead and she passed this on to 9-1-1 before handing the phone to Roger
responding officers noted that there was surprisingly little damage for a home invasion
someone had gone to a great effort to keep the crime scene tidy even killing Kay over the bathtub to avoid spilling
Blood on the floor forensic investigators couldn't recover any useful DNA or fingerprints from the
house they believed that this indicated the perpetrators either had lots of time to
clean up or there hadn't been much of a struggle at all Roger had told 9-1-1 that The Intruders
must have targeted his father because he was rich this was backed up by something one of
the men had supposedly told the couple stating that they were robbing K to support their families
but Kay's valuables had been left behind mostly K Mortensen loved guns and spent a lot
of money adding to his firearm collection in total he owned about 100 some of which were extremely valuable
Kay's Firearms were scattered throughout the house but he kept about 20 in an outdoor underground concrete bunker that
he'd built himself K was a survivalist who believed in self-protection and had built the bunker
in case of an emergency it was stocked with everything hay and his wife Darla could ever need to
survive food water weapons first aid supplies and even reading materials only his closest friends and family knew
about the bunker investigators soon discovered that the shelves in the bunker were empty
all of the Firearms he had stored down there were missing it didn't take long for investigators to
grow suspicious something about Roger and Pamela's story wasn't adding up for them
first of all the crime scene didn't add up Roger and Pamela had said the men Were
Strangers but there was no sign of forced entry draws and safes throughout the house
were left untouched it didn't look like the place had been ransacked as would be expected if random
burglars were responsible nor did it look like any of the victims had put up a struggle
it also seemed as though the man had somehow known about Kay's secret bunker the only Firearms stolen were the ones
kept in there even though Kay's most valuable exclusive and antique guns were in his bedroom locked away in two
separate safes the safes also held K's gold and silver coin collections as a survivalist who was mistrustful of
the government Kaye had invested in these coins to ensure his wealth would remain during periods of potential
disaster or economic downturn when a locksmith managed to open the safes up for law enforcement they saw
that none of the coins or K's valuable guns had been stolen investigators thought the entire
situation looked more like someone staging a burglary without wanting to actually lose any items of value
other aspects of the scene also seemed strange Pamela had said she'd seen one of the
men standing outside the living room window holding a broom but a fresh area of snow showed no signs
of footprints or someone having swept in the vicinity there was evidence of a snowy patch
having been swept on the north side of the house however Pamela wouldn't have been able
to see this area if she'd been held hostage in the living room as she claims although Pamela had said she had cut off
the majority of the couple's zip ties the discarded ties were intact and hadn't been cut
Pamela claimed to have stretched the ones on her wrists to remove them but when investigators experimented with the
tires they found the plastic was too hard to stretch nor were there any marks on the couple's
wrists which would have been left by tight zip tires investigators suspected Pamela and Roger
had secured the restraints Loosely to make it look as though they were taken hostage without actually being tied up
the fact that Kay Mortensen had been murdered with a knife seemed vicious and personal not what you'd expect to see if
he'd been killed by two strangers who were carrying a handgun as well as being a survivalist who was
armed and on high alert to defend himself K had a black belt in karate he should have been able to fight back
against Intruders who turned up at his home it seemed far more likely that he'd been
targeted by people he knew and trusted when his guard was down finally investigators were struck by
what they perceived as Roger and Pamela's strange demeanors both appeared calm and not in the least
bit grief-stricken despite the grisly scene at Kay's home or their own supposed ordeal
the details of their stories seemed to change and there were elements that were just plain odd like Roger saying he'd
asked The Intruders if they could take their pecan pie and to leave why would he be thinking about the pecan
pie in such a stressful situation the sheriff's deputies realized they needed to separate Roger and Pamela
Mortensen then interview them individually they placed the couple in two different
deputies cars in order to drive them down to the station one Deputy noticed Roger making eye
contact with Pamela through their car windows he was grinning at his wife and gave her
a thumbs up when he realized the deputy was watching him his smile immediately vanished and
he put his hands in his lap Pamela still seemed calm and was chatty with the deputies who escorted her to
the station she talked about her work and several television programs she was missing due
to the evening's events during her interrogation detectives noted a complete absence of emotion when
she discussed her deceased father-in-law they showed Pamela a photo lineup of possible suspects but she didn't
recognize any one detective cut to the chase stating this story is a bunch of crap that you
and Roger have come up with okay is your husband capable of killing somebody Pamela stammered slightly in her reply
saying I wouldn't hope I mean I wouldn't think he is I wouldn't think that he's capable
of killing his father I know we are in a lot of debt but we I personally would not have my
father-in-law killed for his money while Roger was being driven to the Sheriff's Department he seemed relaxed
and to eager to chat he asked lots of questions about the equipment in the deputy's car and was
Keen to know how it all worked while waiting to be taken into an interview room he continued to talk
telling deputies about his job and other random topics a couple of times he referred to his
father's death but he didn't seem upset and never cried at one point he described his father as
quote a cantankerous old fart sometimes he stood up to stretch explaining that he had an uncomfortable
back injury Roger was quick to suggest possible suspects including a former student of
his father's name to Mike who owed k money Kaye had taken some of Mike's Guns as
collateral and was storing them in the bunker now they were all gone detectives quickly tracked Mike down and
established that he had an airtight Alibi for the evening Mike also explained that K had bought
the guns from him because he needed money some of the details in Roger's story changed during his interview
he said the suspects had been wearing fuzzy blue women's gloves then he later said they hadn't been wearing gloves at
all but for the most part his version of events stayed the same Roger again told the story of how the
man had changed their minds about killing them after hearing him pray this struck investigators as
particularly implausible it seemed absurd that the men would viciously kill Kay Mortensen In Cold
Blood then allowed two witnesses to live they told Roger Mortensen as such and said they didn't believe what he and
Pamela were saying Roger replied I'm sorry you don't believe me but then he trailed off
he shrugs and rested his head in one hand before looking at one of the detectives and asking
does it sound too rehearsed or the detective told him it did okay was all Roger said in reply
[Music] looking into K mortonson's life investigators quickly realized he'd been
a complex individual K had enjoyed a long career as a professor at Brigham Young University an
LDS tertiary Institution he taught the subjects of engineering technology manufacturing Technology and
Manufacturing design and was popular with his students they liked the way he told stories to
capture their interest instead of just lecturing at them in addition to his successful career
Kaye had made a number of financial investments over the years that had made him a multi-millionaire
he was known to be generous with his wealth sharing it with those he loved a few people owed him money from
substantial loans he'd given them but those who knew k said he hadn't been worried or pressured anyone to repay him
at the same time K could rub some people the wrong way he was described as opinionated dogmatic
stubborn and quick tempered sometimes he got into arguments about politics or religion and there was a
number of failed relationships in his past Kay had been married and divorced twice
before meeting dala he'd had a falling out with his sister regarding guardianship for their mother and
disabled brother and Kaye had disowned one of his sons who held a long-standing grudge due to Kay not paying his child
support or funding his college education detectives also learned about a disagreement Kay had with a former
business partner and a particularly troubling dispute with a neighbor three and a half years earlier in May
2006 K's neighbor Cindy led her pet Great Dane out of its kennel just as Kaye was driving past the property
according to Cindy the dog had started barking at k in response Kaye had stopped his car and
shot the dog dead K claimed that the Great Dane had attacked him and he only shot it in
self-defense he was subsequently charged with animal cruelty and discharging a firearm from a
vehicle he pleaded not guilty to both charges and eventually beat the case despite these disputes throughout Kay's
past investigators quickly concluded that they'd had nothing to do with his murder
in addition to questioning his son Roger and a daughter-in-law Pamela detectives
made interviewing Kay's wife Darla a top priority on the evening of Monday November 16
Darla Mortensen was driving home to the Payson Canyon property when she received
a call from a neighbor he'd notice the commotion at the Mortensen residence with the sheriff's
deputies descending on the property Dallas first thought was that her husband K must have shot a wood Bay
burglar he had always told her that if anyone tried to break into his property he
would kill them Darla knew just how prepared he was for any kind of attack scared and panicked she called a friend
and asked them to meet her at the property when Darla and her friend arrived at Payson Canyon they found that law
enforcement had blocked off the street Darla made her way to the nearest officer and explained the situation
she was taken to a command post that had been set up at the bottom of the hill that led to her home
Darla was informed that her husband hadn't killed an intruder as she'd expected instead he was the victim of an attack
dala looked a grave stricken detectives noted that her open distress was markedly different to how Kay's son
Roger had appeared according to those who knew Kay and tadala their love had been deep and
tadala had a calming effect on her husband prior to getting married she had agreed
to sign a prenuptial agreement so Kay could protect his financial assets dala told detectives that K had always
been paranoid when it came to his personal safety he carried a gun with him at all times
and would insist they enter their homes via the garage instead of the front door
the fact that he could have been caught off guard by Intruders struck her as very unlikely
after listening to audio of Roger and Pamela mortensen's police interviews Darla told the detectives that she was
concerned they might be involved investigators spoke to other members of the Mortensen family
some mentioned that during Roger's childhood he might have experienced physical and emotional abuse at Kay's
hands it turned out that Roger also had a criminal record during his adult years he had struggled
with substance abuse becoming addicted to cannabis and cocaine it also sounded like he had a temper
13 years earlier in 1996 a driver was taking some Boy Scouts on an Excursion through American Fork Canyon when Roger
Mortensen passed by them in an all-terrain vehicle for some reason he became very agitated
stopped his ATV and pulled out a handgun he began waving it at the other driver who quickly continued on to escape him
they reported the incident to authorities who tracked Roger down and found both the gun and a cannabis pipe
in his possession he also had a radar unit that had been stolen from Utah Highway Patrol valued
at four thousand dollars Roger was charged with aggravated assault drug possession and receiving
stolen property he played it at no contest and his charges were reduced resulting in him
receiving probation the following year Roger helped a friend steal dozens of tools from a hardware
store Roger had also been married three times prior to meeting Pamela in 1999 Roger and his then wife sought
protective orders against each other according to Roger's wife he had started claiming he could see the devil
she also said that he abused cannabis and alcohol frequently and was physically violent throwing her against
a wall into slapping her Raja said in his own protective order application that she was lying about
these assaults the orders were granted but Roger was later convicted of violating it when he
made harassing phone calls to his wife a judge ordered Roger to attend to anger management classes and the couple
ultimately divorced Roger's father Kay had been there during his son's struggles he would bail him
out when he needed it and helped Roger stop using drugs the pair bonded over their love of
firearms and would trade guns together Roger said that he and his dad had been best friends quote
as best friends as you can be with a grumpy old man [Music] shortly after Kay's murder detectives
learned that Roger had gone to a bank where Kaye had kept a security box that contained more than eight hundred
thousand dollars worth of gold and silver Roger had tried to access the security
box but wasn't allowed the case investigators couldn't understand why Roger would do such a
thing so soon after his father's murder as especially as he had siblings who were also entitled to Kay's estate
[Music] Roger's interest in his father's wealth looked like a clear motive to the police
Kaye had put most of his money into a trust for his children to receive one day and Roger was set to inherit a
fortune in the event of his father's death they froze and seized Kay's assets investigators searched to Roger and
Pamela's home scattered throughout the house detectives noticed a number of letters
that turned out to be collection notices and unsent mortgage repayment forms it seemed the couple owed thousands of
dollars and were in financial trouble this was consistent with Pamela's remark about being in debt during her police
interview detectives noticed some sawdust on the floor beneath a heating furnace with a
wood panel it looked as though someone had recently been meddling with the panel
they removed it and found a 12 gauge shotgun and an AK-47 stashed behind the furnace along with several thousand
rounds of ammunition Roger Mortensen wasn't permitted to wound guns due to his previous
convictions believing these could be the firearms that had been stolen from K mortonson's
bunker the detectives took them in for examination in the garage detectives found a safe
with the 22 caliber revolver inside there were also two round plastic containers in the garage that were
filled with cannabis possessing cannabis for any purpose was illegal in Utah at the time and Roger's
criminal record meant he was committing a felony Roger mortensen's green Jeep was also
taken for processing detectives took Roger back to his father's house and asked him to take
them through the events of the attack they noted that during the walkthrough Roger seemed very keen to go upstairs
and to check everything was still there as the bathroom hadn't been cleaned and was still stained with Kay's blood
investigators found this odd it didn't seem right that Kay's son would want to go near the spot where his
father had been murdered Roger repeatedly referred to the two perpetrators as gentlemen which also
seemed strange the decision was made to give Roger and Pamela polygraph tests although the results from these tests
wouldn't be permissible in a court of law detectives wanted to measure the couple's responses to being asked
directly if they had killed Kaye the polygraph examiner suspected Pamela was using countermeasures like breathing
differently to beat the test ultimately her results were inconclusive when Roger was tested he became
extremely animated and suddenly turned to The Examiner saying I know how my father was murdered
then he got down on his hands and knees to pose in the position his father had been in before making the motion of a
knife across his throat Not only was his reenactment descriptive and disturbing it matched the autopsy
findings to a T Roger's results indicated he had failed his polygraph test detectives believed he was being
deceptive when he said he did nothing to do with his father's murder it was clear to them that Roger and
Pamela had a financial motive and both had been behaving suspiciously from the beginning
detectives weren't the only ones who suspected Roger and Pamela Kay mortensen's Wife Darla had voiced
her concerns K sister Fern didn't think Roger was personally capable of killing his father
but she did believe he might know people who would be willing to do it for him two months after the murder in January
2010 the Utah County Sheriff's Office went public and openly named the couple as Persons of Interest in the case
they also shared the audio from Pamela's 9-1-1 call with the media a spokesperson from the sheriff's
department explained that the couple had provided inconsistent information and also refused to help create a suspect
sketch of the man they claimed were responsible in the face of the media Spotlight Roger
and Pamela continued to assert their innocence and despite all the suspicion against
them there was no physical evidence tying them to the crime the guns recovered from their home
hadn't been the same one stolen from Kay's bunker the case stalled for another six months
then in July 2010 the Utah County prosecutor decided to convene a grand jury this would allow them to share the
evidence they did have with some witnesses who would then decide whether there was enough to go to trial
the grand jury was Kept Secret from the public and the media 16 jurors were presented with evidence
from detectives prosecutors members of the Mortons and family and some of Pamela's colleagues
Roger and Pamela weren't informed of the proceedings and to no defense case was presented
on Thursday July 29 2010 the grand jury left to deliberate it took them just over an hour to come
to a conclusion they voted in favor of the couple being indicted for Kane lawtonson's murder
foreign week later on the evening of Thursday August 5 Roger and Pamela Mortensen
learned of the indictment when police arrived at their home both were arrested and charged with
murder and obstruction of justice they were transferred to the Utah County Jail where they would remain until it
was time for their trial Rachel Bingham was growing increasingly concerned about reports she was seeing
on the news as a resident of Vernal Utah Rachel lived about a three hours drive from K
mortensen's residence but the story of the professor's murder was still major local news
for months Rachel who was in her early twenties had been keeping an awful Secret
and now she was seeing the consequences of not telling anyone what she knew Rachel had married when she was just 18
years old her husband Martin Bond had initially pursued a career in the military before he was discharged and
enrolled at Utah State University the young couple had a son together but their marriage didn't work out
by early 2010 Rachel Bingham and Martin Bond were divorced however they remained
good friends in March 2010 not long after their divorce was finalized the Now 23 year
old Bond confided something in his ex-wife Martin Bond had known murder victim K
Mortensen as his father was one of Kay's longtime friends the two men had trained together in an
emergency response program developing a close friendship as a child Bond had even visited Kay's
home in Payson Bond told Rachel that five months earlier on Monday November 16 2009 he
and his childhood friend Benjamin reddig had driven to Kay's pace and residence they went armed with the zip ties and a
latex gloves and the intention to steal Kay's guns Martin bond to needed money and because
he knew Kay Mortensen he was aware that the elderly man had a valuable gun collection
Martin Bond knocked on Kay's front door as Benjamin reddig stood behind him when Kaye opened at the door he
immediately recognized Bond and invited both men inside once they were indoors radig and bond
pulled a 40 caliber handgun on K and demanded he restrained himself with the zip ties
K was reluctant but didn't struggle and ultimately did as they asked the pair then demanded K take them to
where he kept his guns K retrieved the key that led to his underground bunker and opened it up at
gunpoint K indicated where the Firearms were located on the Bunker's shelves and the
men then took Kay back inside the house familiar with the home's layout Martin Bond forced to K up the stairs and into
a first floor bathroom he slid open the glass door on the bathtub before making K kneel over it
Bond zip tied case feet together to prevent him from kicking out in self-defense
he told his ex-wife Rachel that while he stood watch over K Benjamin reddig used
a butcher knife taken from Kay's kitchen to slash K's throat ready get then stabbed K deep in the
back of his neck before dropping the knife in the tub almost immediately after Kaye was
murdered the doorbell rang Benjamin reddig hid behind the front door holding the handgun while Martin
Bond opened the door Roger and Pamela Mortensen were standing there with a pecan pie
after bond to let them inside Reddick emerged with the gun and ordered the couple into the living room
they took the couple hostage restraining them with the zip ties as they'd done decay
while Roger and Pamela were left alone and terrified for up to 45 minutes Reddick kept a watch over the couple
meanwhile Bond tempted the bunker of its 25 guns and ammunition loading them into
his blue hatchback that was parked in Kay's driveway Martin Bond didn't tell his ex-wife
Rachel why he and Reddick had allowed the couple to live but he did tell her how they'd come up with a story that
Roger and Pamela should tell the police that three black men were responsible for the crime
if they didn't tell this story Bond and Reddick said they would kill them and to
their families Bond told Rachel that he and Reddick had buried the gun somewhere in the desert
near Vernal where they lived but now he wanted to move them he was nervous that Reddick might go to
the police to confess and he didn't want any evidence of their crime to be found
[Music] Bond asked Rachel if she would help reluctantly Rachel agreed she hired a U-Haul on the morning of
Wednesday March 31 2010 a little over four months after Kay's murder she then headed out to the desert with
Bond and their young son Bond retrieved Kay's guns and put them in the U-Haul then they drove to a
nearby park it was a spacious park with wooded areas numerous walking trails and a giant
Cliff face 100 feet high Rachel watched the couple's son and made a fire while Bond found a spot to
re-berry the guns he chose the secluded wooded area Rachel also took some snapshots of The
Cliff face that day as well as a few of bond standing next to the rented U-Haul for months Rachel Bingham kept her
ex-husband sacred she saw some news stories about Kay's son and a daughter-in-law being
suspected of the crime though nothing about them being arrested Rachel tried blocking out the Terrible
Things Bond had told her but by late 2010 she couldn't keep what she knew to herself anymore
she confided in a friend who in turn told her that Roger and Pamela Mortensen had since been charged with the crime
Rachel checked the news and saw that this was true horrified at the thought that two
innocent people might serve a life sentences for a murder her ex-husband had committed Rachel decided to tell the
truth on Sunday December 5 2010 four months since Roger and Pamela Mortensen had
been sent to County Jail Rachel Bingham called the police during an in-person interview that was
recorded Rachel told detectives everything that Martin Bond had told her she cried as she said how the prospect
of the mortensen's going to prison had prompted her to come forward Rachel's story matched numerous details
from the Mortensen statements that had not been public and seemed to verify their claims
Martin Bond and Benjamin reddig were almost exactly as Roger and Pamela had described
they were white and in their early twenties with short dark hair and some facial hair
both were of average height at five foot ten and weighed 165 pounds Rachel also told the police that Bond
hadn't buried all of Kay's guns she had seen some of them still lying around his
house investigators obtained a warrant to search Martin Bond's home Bond told them he had nothing to do with
the crime but couldn't stop them from executing the search warrant while going through his home and a
nearby shed detectives found between five to seven guns that matched one stolen from K Mortensen
most of them had the serial numbers scratched off with the exception of one rifle
when investigators checked its serial number they confirmed that the rifle had belonged to K Mortensen
presented with this evidence Martin Bond changed his story he had admitted that he had been
involved and told the detectives the same story he had told Rachel he then took them to the location where
he'd buried the remaining guns it was a wooded area about 10 feet from a parking lot within the large Park
Rachel Bingham had described detectives recovered more firearms from this buried weapons cache
Bond was adamant that he hadn't been the one to actually kill Kaye he had stood over K with a gun while Benjamin Reddick
repeatedly slashed his throat and stabbed him it appeared that Kaye had deliberately
taken his attackers to the bunker because that was where his least expensive weapons were kept
he hadn't told them about the more valuable ones he kept upstairs in a safe Bond and Reddick had seemingly taken k
at face value not thinking to search elsewhere in the property for other things to steal
when Benjamin reddig's home was searched police found Roger mortensen's driver's
license in his possession the couple had told police how the attackers had stolen Roger's license so
they'd have access to his address two days after Rachel first went to the police detectives arrested both men for
aggravated murder aggravated burglary and three counts of aggravated kidnapping they were booked into the Utah County
Jail it was the same place where Roger and Pamela Mortensen had spent the past four
months awaiting their trial when Rogers attorney informed him of the new development in the case Roger began
crying the day after Bond and Reddick were arrested prosecutors moved to drop all
charges against Roger and Pamela the couple appeared happy and smiling as the indictment was officially dismissed
in court they declined to speak to the media but rudger's attorney spoke on his behalf
stating hay and I are both just elated and ecstatic about this new development I would suspect that a few things in
life are as liberating as being proven innocent on something that everybody believes you did especially something
like murder they've maintained the story the entire time and it's all been true Pamela mortensen's lawyer said
I think there is some relief from Pam I think that she always felt that the truth would come out every day that she
sat in jail is a day of her life that was wasted and that she can never get back
[Music] members of the couple's family openly expressed to their relief at the news
K's Widow dollar told reporters that she was shocked by the development but incredibly relieved to know her stepson
had nothing to do with his father's murder when police had first floated the idea
that they could be responsible ndala couldn't believe it but then the investigators played
recordings of their interviews for her the couple's unusual demeanors led to Darla starting to suspect that they
might have been involved [Music] the relief that Roger and Pamela's relatives felt wasn't enough to undo
some of the damage that had been done over the past year the fact that some of their friends and
people within Rogers family had believed they were guilty had created significant
tension and tested relationships when the couple were first charged Pamela's family hired an attorney for
her but Roger's relatives were less enthusiastic about funding his defense according to the television program
Dateline when a friend of the couple asked Roger's sister Julie if they could use money from Kay's multi-million
dollar estate to retain a lawyer for Roger she refused Julie told a dateline this was because
the family's attorney had advised against giving Roger money Roger had to use a public defender
instead Kay's sister Fern had previously believed it might have been possible that Roger hired people to kill her
brother all those she was happy to be proven wrong she was left with the regret for
not believing her nephew and to the experience changed her outlook on life family members and investigators alike
had partly been suspicious of Roger and Pamela because some of their behavior immediately following the attack was
seen as odd when Pamela called 9-1-1 after escaping from her zip ties she came across as
vague and unwilling to help the operator by providing information this was because she wasn't sure if she
should tell the truth of what happened or the fake story that the attackers had ordered them to tell
detectives had been suspicious of how calm Pamela seemed in the aftermath of the attack but she said that was her
natural personality she wasn't the type to become visibly emotional Pamela also believed she had likely been
in shock at the time during Roger's interviews with detectives he had said and done some
things that they thought were strange this included asking them if they thought his and Pamela's statement
sounded quote too rehearsed but there was a reason for this years earlier Roger had accidentally
driven his ATV off a cliff he'd suffered a serious brain injury and almost had died
although he recovered the injury caused significant trauma to his frontal lobe and Roger was no longer able to work
he relied on disability payments instead after the accident elements of Roger's personality changed
he struggled with his short-term memory and stress caused him to become forgetful
he could also be impulsive or act as though he had no emotion or filter these are common consequences of a
frontal lobe injury the grand jury that had voted to win diet Roger and Pamela had not been told
about Roger's injury investigators had told the grand jury that the couple hadn't provided clear
and consistent descriptions of the men who attacked them but a review of their statements proved
this was false the couple's level of debt had also been exaggerated detectives had given evidence that they
found several stacks of collection notices around their home which were about eight or nine inches high
in fact the couple only had a three or four collection notices at the time amounting to between three and eight
thousand dollars these included medical and to dental bills the couple hadn't been behind on their
mortgage payments the reason there were run sent mortgage repayment forms lying around their house
was because they had recently switched to making payments online investigators had told Roger and Pamela
that their descriptions of the attack sounded too similar and rehearsed yet they also pointed to discrepancies
in their stories as indicators of guilt these discrepancies were minor such as the couple describing the men's gloves
as different colors mistakes in recollecting details such as this aren't uncommon after suffering a
traumatic experience the couple were accused of having refused to help create a sketch of the
Suspects in fact they had been at the sheriff's department with their attorney to
provide fingerprints and DNA samples when investigators unexpectedly brought out a sketch artist
because their attorney had another appointment in court they were unable to stay and work with the sketch artist at
that time the attorney asked if they could complete the sketch another time but the
police never followed up it also emerged that early in the investigation detectives had been
contacted by a woman who said she had witnessed the murder in a dream the woman had been using methamphetamine
at the time and had a very Vivid dream in which she saw her boyfriend murder Kay Mortensen in his bathroom
a second woman was present on a nearby staircase and was crying during the murder
she was accompanied by a man detectives wondered if the man and woman watching on during the murder could have
been Roger and Pamela they showed the woman a photo lineup of suspects with Roger's picture included
they asked her to identify the Killer and she pointed directly at Roger despite the fact that this woman was
reporting a dream she'd had while under the influence of recreational drugs detectives had treated this as a serious
tip-off it had further bolstered their early suspicions that Roger and Pamela Mortensen Were Somehow involved
after Martin Bond and Benjamin reddig were charged with Kay's murder reddick's attorney soon helped him negotiate a
plea agreement with prosecutors the agreement would say ready complete guilty to aggravated murder and to just
one can of aggravated kidnapping in exchange the prosecutors would drop the other charges and wouldn't seek the
death penalty in his case they would even recommend the possibility of parole one day when it
came to sentencing part of reddig's play agreement required him to make a full and honest confession
and to testify against the bond when it came time for his trial the plan to Rob AK Mortensen hadn't been
a long time in the making Reddick said that he'd first heard of Bond's idea when Bond called him on the
day of the crime Reddick had gone over to Bond's home and things escalated from there
red egg's version of events differed somewhat from bonds while Bond said his friend was
responsible for killing Kaye Reddick said it was the other way around after zip tying Kay's ankles in the
bathroom Bond had gone downstairs to the kitchen and returned with a butcher knife
radig had been the one holding the handgun the entire time he'd been standing in the bathroom with
the gun while Bond repeatedly sliced Kay's throat then stabbed him according to Reddick Bond had also
wanted to kill Roger and Pamela after the couple were first restrained Bond had gone back to the kitchen and
found a second knife but this time Reddick intervened stepping between bonds and their couple
and telling Bond not to kill them as Martin Bond was pleading not guilty and going to trial reddig's version of
events would be heard in court when he testified against his longtime friend [Music]
Benjamin reddig officially pleaded guilty in June 2011. he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and ordered
to pay two fines of ten thousand dollars each the judge also ordered Reddick to pay
restitution amounting to ten and a half thousand dollars in a brief statement to the court
Reddick apologized the multiple times for his role in Kay's murder Martin Bond's trial began years later in
January 2013. his ex-wife Rachel Bingham was a star witness and cried as she testified from
the witness box Benjamin reddig was set to Bay another K Witness he was brought into the courtroom
wearing a white prison jumpsuit Reddick was asked about his childhood and his friendship with Martin Bond
he answered these questions openly then he was asked about the events of Monday November 16 2009.
Reddick said he'd been at the restaurant where he worked when he received a call
from Bond asking him to come over when the prosecutor asked what happened next Reddick paused then replied
I know it was in the agreement too and everyone expects me to but I would feel more comfortable stopping right now
the prosecutor tried asking more questions but Reddick refused to answer them quietly telling the court he was
refusing to testify the prosecution and Kay mortensen's family were deeply disappointed by
reddick's refusal especially as it had been negotiated as part of his play deal Bond's defense were claiming the entire
attack had been reading's idea they said Bond had reluctantly agreed to Rob Kay's property but only if Kaye
wasn't home Bond considered k a close friend and didn't want to harm him if the pair arrived at Kay's residence
and found he was there Bond insisted that they would just say hello and to leave
he said that somehow the entire thing had just gotten out of hand according to bond and his attorney redig
was also solely responsible for Kay's murder Redding going back on his deal with
prosecutors wouldn't impact his conviction but it would be passed along to the parole board to review when he is
able to apply for parole since they were arrested Bond and Reddick Had Each accused the other of
killing k the prosecution had been relying on Reddick to prove their case against Bond
but they did have another witness willing to testify that Bond was the Killer in 2011 Martin Bond had been caught
passing notes with another inmate at the Utah County Jail the other inmate was a 21 year old
awaiting trial for robbing a credit union the two would communicate by typing handwritten notes to a shoestring and
tossing it between their cells one night the 21 year old inmate asked a bond why he was placing all the blame
for Kay's murder on his childhood friend in response Bond wrote well Ben made the situation when Kay and
I tried to talk to him he freaked out more and a bunch of other happened it came to the point where Ben was going
to kill him but he made me instead it was that or he said he'll shoot me so that no one could say anything
that's why Kay's throat was cut Ben wouldn't give me the gun I thought he was suffering so that's why
I stabbed him the younger inmate came forward with the notes in exchange for a better plea deal
in his own case a handwriting expert from the Salt Lake County Police Department said that the
note was written in Nate cursive and was a match to Bond's handwriting a former friend of Martin bonds said
that over the years Bond had occasionally discussed how he would murder a person if he ever had to
he would talk about slicing throats the friend said that's how he would do it slicing throats
the Utah County attorney also argued that Bond was the one with a motive to kill K not Reddick
Kay knew who Bond was but had never seen red egg before it made sense that Bond would want to
cover his tracks by murdering a victim who could identify him Roger and Pamela Mortensen testified at
length about their ordeal at the hands of bond and Reddick now that they knew the names of their
attackers they could provide more information about how each man had behaved Pamela said it was Bond who did most of
the talking and seemed to be in charge Reddy had been quieter and was the one who had told the couple K was restrained
upstairs Pamela told the court how terrified she had been quote it was a very scary situation I didn't
know if I was going to make it out of that house that night three days after the trial began the
jury left to deliberate it took them five hours to find Martin Bond guilty of aggravated murder
burglary and robbery and three counts of aggravated kidnapping he was sentenced to life in prison
without the possibility of parole [Music] Roger and Pamela spoke openly about the
devastating consequences the crime had on them they had lost a loved one in terrible circumstances and were also
victims of kidnapping being taken hostage into believing they would be murdered had been a traumatic
experience then they were arrested and charged with the very crime they were victims of
losing months of their lives in the process addressing Martin Bond directly during
his sentencing Roger stated because of your actions my wife and I were blamed for a crime we did not
commit we spent four and a half months in jail our relationships with family and
friends were destroyed my wife lost her job our vehicles were repossessed our reputations were ruined in our church
and in our community while you watched it happen and bragged about it Roger and Pamela filed a civil lawsuit
against those responsible for their arrest arguing that the prosecutors and detectives had Allied to the grand jury
but a few months after their suit was filed the U.S Supreme Court ruled that grand jury prosecutors and Witnesses
were immune from civil litigation consequently the couple's lawsuit was dismissed
they had no further recourse for restitution or compensation Deputy Utah County attorney Tim Taylor
has said that although investigators made a mistake in arresting the couple it was their arrests that led to the
truth coming out Taylor told the Salt Lake Tribune that he and other members of the prosecution
team quote feel bad about Pamela and Roger mortensen's arrests but in the long run
things turned out okay in the words of K Morton's and sister Fern his murder and the events that
followed permanently damaged Kay's loved ones in court she stated our family was left with a gaping hole
irreparable damage was done and will never be repaired [Music] at the time of Kay's murder he was just
getting started on enjoying his retirement he had only recently married his wife
Darla whom he was deeply devoted to dala described to their relationship as being like that of teenagers newly in
love it had been a while since either of them had been in a loving relationship and
they were thrilled to have found each other hay and adala were wealthy and happy and
excited to spend the rest of their lives having fun together the pair had completed a church mission
gone on a cruise to Hawaii enrolled in dance classes and had lots of other plans for their golden years
all of that abruptly ended when Martin Bond turned to Benjamin reddig decided to rob a k
in Darla's words she had been left all alone by their actions and to the lives of K sun and a daughter-in-law were
shattered all for a few guns [Music] foreign [Music]

Case 258: Kay Mortensen

On November 16 2009, a 911 call was placed to the Utah County Sheriff’s Department by 34-year-old Pamela Mortensen. According to Pamela, her father-in-law Kay Mortensen was brutally murdered in his own home, and the perpetrators were two burglars who had also taken Pamela and her husband Roger hostage. But investigators were suspicious of Pamela and Roger from the start, due to their strange demeanours and inconsistent stories. It would take more than a year for the full and shocking truth to be revealed…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Roger and Pamela Mortensen were wrongfully accused of murdering Kaye Mortensen, who was actually killed by Martin Bond and Benjamin Reddig during a robbery.

Key points

A Distressing Call for Help. Pamela Mortensen calls 9-1-1 after surviving a home invasion, fearing for her father-in-law's life.
The Intruders' Threat. Roger Mortensen is threatened by the intruders who demand he follow their orders.
Suspicion Arises. Investigators begin to doubt Roger and Pamela's account of the home invasion.
The Disturbing Discovery. Detectives find a shotgun and an AK-47 hidden in Roger's home, raising suspicions.
The Grand Jury Indictment. Roger and Pamela Mortensen are indicted for Kay's murder after a secret grand jury meeting.
Rachel's Secret. Rachel reveals her ex-husband's involvement in Kay's murder, potentially exonerating the Mortensens.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I thought my father-in-law might be dead but I wasn't sure.

Pamela Mortensen's distressing call to 9-1-1 after the home invasion.

2:00WatchSep 2, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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