Killer will spend rest of life behind bars

UTAH STATE PRISON — A convicted killer suspected in the death of an elderly California woman has been ordered to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

In a decision announced Monday, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole said Alvin Johnson, 67, will spend his "natural life" in prison for the 1983 slaying of a transient man and the rape of his wife. Johnson was scheduled to be paroled on June 9.

According to Deseret News stories from the time, Johnson befriended James M. Clark, 38, and his wife, luring them to an abandoned building in Salt Lake City where they could find shelter. Johnson then beat Clark to death and sexually assaulted the woman, beating her into unconsciousness.

"New psychological report indicates Mr. Johnson remains a danger to the public," parole board member Jesse Gallegos wrote in a rationale for the decision given to the Deseret News after Johnson's April 29 hearing.

The rationale also noted multiple victims and a history of similar offenses.

Johnson is also a suspect in the 1983 sexual assault and slaying of 76-year-old Clarice Reinke in Fresno, Calif.

Police said in 2005 that DNA evidence tied Johnson and another inmate to the crime.

— Ben Winslow