Robert Eugene Bennett

Parties

• Robert Eugene Bennett (51): last known acquaintance of Larry Duane White; defendant in the mutilation slaying.
• Larry Duane White (52): free-lance writer; victim whose severed legs were found outside a grocery store trash bin; later a torso and head were discovered on property Bennett rented in South Salt Lake.
• Floy Jean Bennett (37): Bennett’s ex-wife; disappeared on Feb. 22, 1978.

Timeline

• Feb. 22, 1978 — Floy Jean Bennett disappeared.
• Feb. 22 (year not specified) — White’s severed legs were found outside a grocery store trash bin at 851 E. 45th South.
• April 6 (year not specified) — Bennett was arrested in Las Vegas and had a five-shot, .38-caliber pistol in his possession.
• Monday (week not specified; year not specified) — Investigators unearthed White’s torso on the property at 664 E. King’s Lane (2980 South).
• Tuesday morning (week not specified; year not specified) — Detectives unearthed White’s head wrapped in plastic from the same property.
• Wednesday, May 10, 1989 — Second-degree murder charges were filed against Bennett in 3rd Circuit Court; autopsy findings and discovery details were described.
• Thursday, May 11, 1989 — Another report described the charging decision and Bennett’s connection to the investigation into his wife’s disappearance.

Background

Larry Duane White was an unemployed free-lance writer who lived with his elderly father in an Avenues apartment. White was originally of Indiana.

The offence

Bennett faced charges of second-degree murder in the slaying of Larry Duane White involving mutilation. The Medical Examiner Todd Grey determined White’s limbs had been amputated after he was shot five times, and that the bullet holes in his torso caused his death.

An autopsy disclosed five bullet holes in the decapitated, armless torso unearthed on the property where Bennett lived. White’s severed legs were found outside a grocery store trash bin at 851 E. 45th South in late February. White’s arms had not been found, and there was a possibility the arms had been placed in a Dumpster like the legs.

A human head wrapped in plastic was unearthed from the same property where the torso was found.

Investigation

Salt Lake County deputies discovered a torso and head buried on property Bennett rented in South Salt Lake.

• Discovery locations and condition
  • The torso was found under concrete slabs under a layer of dirt, wedged between a pipe and septic tank about 30 inches underground.
  • The torso was wrapped in a plastic bag and clothed only in white shorts.
  • A human head wrapped in plastic was unearthed from the same property and was described as well-preserved, with dental records planned for identification.
  • Investigators said they dug up the whole countryside and did not find the missing arms; Chief Deputy Sheriff Charles J. Shepherd said: "We dug up the whole countryside. We did not find those."
  • Shepherd continued: "There's a possibility they may have been put in a Dumpster like the legs. We don't know."
• Other items found
  • Work gloves, a penny and a small neck chain were found.
  • A hacksaw was found in a shed on the property at 664 E. King’s Lane (2980 South).
• Evidence linking to Bennett
  • Detectives were led to the residence after discovering license plates stolen from a neighbor.
  • Evidence found over the weekend in a Las Vegas boarding room Bennett lived in before his arrest April 6 led detectives to the former residence in South Salt Lake.
  • Detectives found some of White’s identification cards, a post office box used by Bennett but registered under White’s name, and a .38-caliber revolver in Las Vegas.
  • The gun would be compared to bullets recovered from the torso.
• Processing of the legs
  • White’s leg bones were sent to the FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, Va. to compare with the torso.
• Handling of White’s disappearance
  • Beaverton, Ore., law enforcement officials prepared to interview Bennett again in the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Floy Jean Bennett, which was described as having occurred on Feb. 22, 1978.
  • Coincidentally, on that same day 11 years later, White’s severed legs were found in a Salt Lake County trash bin.
  • Beaverton police officer Mark Hyde said: "We've never ever had any substantial information which linked Mr. Bennett to his wife's disappearance."
  • Hyde added: "With Mr. Bennett's arrest with this charge in Salt Lake City, it certainly sheds a bright light on our investigation up here."
  • Sheriff N.D. "Pete" Hayward praised the detectives and said: "It was a tough case. They did a good job. They just wouldn't let loose of any little piece of evidence they got. It goes back again to the basics."

Arrest

Bennett had a five-shot, .38-caliber pistol in his possession when he was arrested in Las Vegas on April 6. He was in the Salt Lake County Jail awaiting trial on a federal social security fraud indictment when he was charged with White’s murder.

Trial

Bennett was charged in 3rd Circuit Court with second-degree murder in the grisly mutilation slaying of Larry Duane White.

Sentencing

Bennett pled guilty to second degree in Utah and was sentenced to five years to life in prison.

Outcome

• Second-degree murder charges were filed against Robert Eugene Bennett in 3rd Circuit Court.
• Bennett pled guilty to second degree in Utah and received a five years to life prison sentence.

Other details

• Sheriff Pete Hayward said the torso, and the human head wrapped in plastic unearthed from the same property Monday, were believed to be that of Larry Duane White.
• Hayward said the torso and head were found on property at 664 E. King’s Lane (2980 South) where Bennett lived from December to February.
• Chief Deputy Sheriff Charles J. Shepherd said detectives found the body parts under concrete slabs and that the body parts had been found in a patch of soft earth; Shepherd said: "When we started, all we had was a set of legs with different socks."
• Shepherd added: "If we hadn't found the legs it would have been just a city case, classified as a missing person."
• Bennett had been questioned numerous times about White’s death after his arrest but refused to talk.
• Sheriff's officials contacted law enforcement officials in Beaverton, Ore. regarding Bennett’s ex-wife, Floy Jean Bennett (37), who had been missing for 12 years by the time of the report.