Confessions of a Murderer
Many major crimes are solved during routine traffic patrol. Sometimes crimes are discovered by officers with a listening ear. Just after midnight on January 9, 1968, Trooper Wayne Rider made a routine traffic stop on I-15 in Salt Lake County. The 19 year old driver, Joseph Farris appeared distraught. Wayne asked what the problem was; however, the driver did not want to talk. After further counsel from Wayne, Farris blurted out, “I just shot my mom.” In a check with Bountiful Police, it was determined that Farris’ mother had been shot twice with a 12 gauge shotgun and was dead when police arrived. The shooting was witnessed by Farris’ sister, who had locked herself in the bathroom.
Trooper Rider and Sergeant Neil Bishop accompanied the suspect back to Bountiful where he was turned over to the Bountiful Police.