Police seeking clues in South Salt Lake book dealer's death

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Police continued Thursday to investigate the killing of a South Salt Lake book dealer but remained tight-lipped about the case.

Detectives gathered more evidence at B&W Billiards and Books, 3466 S. 700 East, where the husband of Sherry Black, 64, found her fatally stabbed on Tuesday. They were carefully examining the store's inventory to see if anything was missing.

"We have recovered a lot of forensic evidence, and that is in the process of being sent to the lab," said South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller. "We're very anxious to get the results back from that."

Police have not released any information about a murder weapon but say it's clear Black had stab wounds. Her husband, Earl, found her lying on the floor of the shop, next door to their home, and called 911 shortly before 2 p.m.

She is the mother of Larry H. Miller Group CEO Greg Miller's wife, Heidi.

Keller said police do not have any suspects and are looking for information from the public. They want to speak with not only people who may have been in the area on Monday, but also anyone who may have recently been in the bookstore or had contact with Sherry Black.

"We want people to be open-minded," Keller said. "Any little tidbit of information we could get, we'd like to hear from them."

Sherry Black had been selling books, including many LDS-themed titles, for 10 years, according to her brother, Jim Waycasy. She would mostly buy them from Deseret Industries and sell them online at Amazon.com, he said.

Scott Young, a friend of Black's, owns a bookstore at the South Towne Center in Sandy. Young said that in an industry dominated by men, Black made a name for herself.

"I can't think of another female bookseller that has succeeded as she has. She was just an incredible woman and had a love for books," Young said. "She started from scratch and built up her business out of nothing."

He said they saw each other often, and he considered her a good friend. The Black he knew wasn't as reserved or quiet as some of her neighbors recounted.

"I feel like I knew a different side of her. I feel like she's the complete opposite from what her neighbors said. She was a very out-going, interesting, talkative and warm person."

Police are not sure how long it will take to receive the results of the forensic tests. Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious is asked to call 801-840-4000.

Contributing: Paul Koepp, Molly Farmer

e-mail: jstagg@desnews.com