Man convicted of '71 Ogden murder denied parole

UTAH STATE PRISON — An ailing man serving time for the 1971 slaying of an Ogden woman has been denied parole.

Edward Alan Oniskor, 62, will be reconsidered for parole in January 2012, said Utah Board of Pardons and Parole spokesman Jim Hatch.

Oniskor was brought to his Jan. 5 parole hearing on a gurney with a nurse by his side.

"My hands are crippled up and I can't hold my utensils to eat," he told board member Robert S. Yeates. "My neck is in a brace and I feel like I belong in a nursing home."

Oniskor said he spends his day lying in a gurney in the prison infirmary. He recently spent time in the Utah State Hospital, and confirmed for Yeates that he suffers from schizophrenic bipolar disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and depression.

"The problem with a nursing home," Yeates said, "is I'm not familiar with what resources are out there and if there are any facilities, given your background, history and condition that could address your issues."

Yeates pointed out that Oniskor has a long history of disciplinary problems at the prison, including five incidents since his last parole hearing in 2007.

Oniskor is serving a life sentence for the 1971 robbery, rape and murder of 53-year-old Lucille Pierren.

During his 2007 parole hearing, Oniskor said he snuck into Pierren's apartment and suffocated the woman with a pillow before raping her. He then stole $15, some jewelry, some beer and a few packs of cigarettes."

"I wanted to watch somebody die," he said during the 2007 hearing. "I got my wish."

— Geoff Liesik