Double murder suspect booked on new charges

Iron County Sheriff's deputies have added another charge to keep a double murder suspect behind bars.

Iron County Jail staffers said today that Martin Chris Nelson, 43, has now been booked on suspicion of possession of a dangerous weapon, a second-degree felony. Bail was set on that charge at $5,000 cash-only.

In addition, Nelson is being held on charges of failure to register as a sex offender and drug possession, both third-degree felonies. A judge in Cedar City's 5th District Court set bail on those charges at $20,000.

Iron County Sheriff's deputies and prosecutors are building a double murder case against Nelson after the bodies of two men were found buried underneath a shed on the Beryl property he lived on.

"Our main concern right now is keeping him incarcerated," Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett told the Deseret Morning News earlier this week.

Derek Davis and Chad Grijalva, both 34, disappeared Oct. 24 after telling family members they were going to run an errand in Cedar City. Iron County Sheriff's detectives believe the men went to Nelson's trailer in Beryl to collect on a debt and were shot several times in the chest and head with a .22-caliber rifle.

Last week, sheriff's deputies went to Nelson's home and found the pickup that the missing men were last seen driving. Davis and Grijalva's bodies were found buried in a shallow grave underneath the floor of a tack shed.

Formal charges in their deaths could be coming against Nelson as early as next week, Garrett said. Evidence from the crime scene have been sent to the state crime lab for analysis.

Nelson, a convicted sex offender with a drug record, remains in the Iron County Jail with a court appearance set for Nov. 28.

Meanwhile, funeral services will be held in Spanish Fork on Saturday for Davis. He leaves behind a son and two daughters.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com