Utah restaurateur found dead in burning home; husband charged
SALT LAKE CITY -- The estranged husband of a prominent Utah restaurateur has been charged with murder and arson after the businessman was found dead inside a burning home, reports CBS affiliate KUTV.
John Williams, 72, was found after responders put out a fire at his Salt Lake City home early Sunday morning, the station reports. Investigators ruled the death suspicious and have charged Williams' estranged husband Craig Crawford, 47, with aggravated homicide and aggravated arson.
According to charging documents obtained by Crimesider, Crawford also lives in the home. As fire officials responded to reports of a fire around 1:30 a.m., they heard someone inside the house yelling for help. They entered the home, discovered Williams and attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police and fire investigators uncovered evidence that indicated Crawford intentionally set the blaze, according to the documents, filed by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Sunday. Investigators believe Crawford was at the home during the beginning stages of the fire, and they say he was seen walking back to the home once it was engulfed in flames.
Crawford allegedly never called dispatchers to report the fire.
Williams was a well-known restaurateur behind several popular Utah eateries. In a tweet, Utah state Sen. Jim Dabakis called Williams an "LGBT ambassador."
"The untimely passing of restoration developer, restaurateur and LGBT pioneer John Williams is devastating," Dabakis said in a statement released to KUTV. "The restaurants he and his partners opened raised the standards of dining for Utah, and the quiet bridges John built between the emerging LGBT community and the Utah business world made this a better place for all of us to live."
Williams had filed for a divorce from Crawford on May 4, according to court documents obtained by the station. Records also reportedly show that Williams filed for a temporary restraining order against Crawford on May 6.
Authorities say they have no other suspects in the case.