Police arrest man suspected of killing Denny’s cook

Officers secure scene at apartment complex on 300 East where body of Gary Hall was discovered deceased inside of his apartment, St. George, Utah, July 3, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The man suspected in a murder reported Friday on 300 East, 24-year-old Joshua Anthony Huntsman, was arrested by officers in northern California Wednesday afternoon.

St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin told St George News that Huntsman is currently in police custody in Santa Rosa, California.

Huntsman is suspected of killing Gary Hall at the apartment both men shared on 300 East sometime after midnight Friday.

The body was discovered by police after Hall’s supervisor at Denny’s, where he has worked as a cook for nearly four decades, went to the apartment to check on him when he failed to show up for work. Hall was last seen shortly after 11 p.m. when he finished his shift.

The suspect allegedly left the apartment driving Hall’s vehicle, a Honda passenger car, which was missing when the manager arrived to check on him.

Joshua Anthony Huntsman, shown in this photo, is suspected in the murder of Gary Hall in St. George, Utah, photo date not specified | Submitted photo, St. George News

On Tuesday, the Washington County Attorney’s Office filed charges in the case and a no-bail warrant for Huntsman’s arrest was issued that same day. The affidavit in support of the warrant has been sealed “based upon the concern of safety for witness and informants in this matter,” prosecutor Ryan Shaum stated in court records.

Huntsman is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree felony theft.

Atkin said the suspect was being detained on the no-bail warrant by authorities in California, but no further details are being released at this time.

St. George News reached out to the Sonoma County Adult Detention Center in Santa Rosa and was told by jail staff that Huntsman has not yet gone through the booking process, saying he is likely being questioned by police.

This is a developing story.   

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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