According to police and reports, a killer has finally been found in the horrific rape and murder of a Utah teen that perplexed investigators for forty years.
On May 15, 1985, 18-year-old Christine Gallegos was last seen alive while hitchhiking to downtown Salt Lake City for her job. According to reports, the driver of a passing car found her body early the following morning.
When investigators got there, they discovered a gory scene in what is now Ballpark.
Gallegos had been shot twice in the head, stabbed, raped, and beaten. Before being killed, she reportedly fought her assailant fiercely, according to police.
At a press conference Thursday to announce the resolution of the cold case, Detective Cordon Parks stated, “She left a blood trail up to the gutter of Jefferson Street.”
Ricky Lee Stallworth, an Air Force veteran who married five times and had three children before his death in 2023, was identified by police as the likely killer who had eluded them for decades with the aid of traditional detective work and state-of-the-art genetic technology.
When the teenage girl was murdered in May 1985, Stallworth, who was 27 at the time, was serving as an airman at Hill Air Force Base.
In the final two years of his life, Stallworth allegedly interacted with prostitutes on State Street, the business district that runs through downtown Salt Lake City, according to police reports.
Parks posthumously called him a “State Street stalker” during last week’s press conference because of his late-night encounter.
According to police, Stallworth was known to leave his home in the middle of the night and return early in the morning, despite being married. Parks said he would never disclose to his wife his whereabouts or his activities.
Detectives found it frustrating that Stallworth, whose name never surfaced in the various rounds of the murder investigation over the years, passed away in July 2023 from natural causes, prevented them from ever questioning him.
Parks remarked, “I wish we could have got to him before he died.”
Investigators don’t think Gallegos and Stallworth were acquainted prior to the murder.
However, Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent Steve O’Camb stated in a press release that “Handcuffs, however, do not equal healing. The resolution of Christine’s case is a prime example. We weren’t able to arrest a suspect, but hopefully we achieved some measure of justice for her and the family and friends that loved her.”
Police claim that a DNA sample that one of Stallworth’s relatives voluntarily gave to investigators proved Stallworth was the murderer.
Othram Labs, one of the most potent genetic sequencers in the world, received the preserved DNA from Gallegos’ case and discovered the match.
Leah, Gallego’s mother, claimed that she hasn’t stopped thinking about her daughter since the teen’s horrific murder.
During the press conference, she remarked, “I really miss that girl every day.”
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According to Leah, Christine was engaged to Troy, and the two of them intended to start a family.
She remarked, “I wonder about the kids she would have. I watch other people with their daughters, with their grandkids.”
She expressed her gratitude to the police for cracking the case, but she was still devastated by her loss.
She remarked, “They took so much away when they took her away.”
According to an obituary that seems to be for the suspected murderer, who goes by Rickie for his first name, he was an adventurous and devoted family man.
It said, “Rickie traveled the world during his very impressive and accomplished career in the United States Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force, Rickie started a career with HK Systems (now Dematic) and worked tirelessly until he had to retire for health reasons.”
According to the statement, his wife, three children, numerous grandchildren, and other family members survive him. Additionally, according to police, Stallworth had four ex-wives.
The police story was contested by one of Stallworth’s ex-wives, who claimed that Gallegos’ true killer was still “out there somewhere.”
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The ex-wife, who asked not to be named told, “He’s dead.” He was never given the opportunity to stand trial. This is going to be fought.
She described Stallworth as a dedicated engineer and a kind, caring husband. The ex-wife claimed that during their 19-year marriage, Stallworth never once raised his hand or voice to her.
She questioned, “Not once. How do you go from that to killing someone? You’d think there’d be something in 19 years, but no.”
“We just don’t believe it,” she continued.
