Comments about ‘'Divine intervention' helped police solve case of slain 6-year-old Sierra Newbold, chief says’

As this terrible story unfolds, I predict we will be informed that this man was involved in viewing pornography. So many violent sociopathic killers had their start in viewing pornography.

@UTAH Bill. This life has been compared to us only being able to see the other side of an embroidery. Part of the "risk" that is this life, is the fact that people have their agency to choose good or evil. If we had all the answers, where would FAITH fit into our lives? Pray for peace and comfort for the family and for yourself too.

I am assuming that the reporter who wrote this article was writing under much pressure to complete it so news of the arrest would be known. I've been a newspaper reporter, but never for something as awful as this, and emotions do affect how a reporter writes. I thought "connecting the dots" was overused, but I wouldn't want to be the one having to impart this news to a huge number of readers. Let's focus on the good work of the detectives, and recognize that unusual events leading to the arrest could be called "miracles" in a broad perspective. Most of all I think we need to be sympathetic to all who knew the victim, and those who are missing her most. So sad.

With regards to the divine intervention. I believe that there is a divine balance, an opposition in all things. If God stops bad things from done, he will also have to stop good things from being done. Several years ago a man went into an Amish school and shot several girls. The man was shot or killed himself. Afterwards, the family of the dead girls reached out to the family of the murderer of their daughters and shared . If God had stopped the man, he would have also prevented their families from showing compassion. Whether we live or die is not important in the long view of eternity. God cares about how we deal with others. Feed the hungry, be kind to strangers, visit the ill and the imprisoned.

God helps those that help themselves. It's because the detective was actually putting in the necessary time on this case that he had enough dots to connect.

Well-written article but . . . should they print the victim's address?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves with this miracle business. The guy committed a heinous crime that garnered national attention. He then proceeded to steal a car, commit fraud at a bank, all the while wearing the clothes he killed her in. He's either not too bright, or he was on some level hoping to get caught.

My heart goes out to all those affected by this awful crime, but God had nothing to do with it.

Joe, Utah Bill, Beverly, & Ernest

If God wanted to stop anything from happeing he would, but then life would have no agency and we would all be doing the same thing with no choices. This monster made a horrific choice and unfortunately took the life a this beautiful little girl. YES, God could have stopped it, however it was not stopped.

The divine intervention mentioned by the police is nothing short of a miracle. This guy stole the car of a woman, who then went to her bank where she noticed her stolen car. She called police and the police came and arrested the man who just so happened to be wearing clothing with charcoal/soot on them. The police had a sixth sense about this and it led to the discovery that he was Sierra's killer. For these events to happen like this is truly miraculous.

Would you grow and learn how to love if you never had pain? The pain of this story has brought it close to home for me. I hold my little girls every night now with a greater strencth of love and the knowledge of the true pain the Newbolds must be feeling.

Part 1

"Bad Things Happen to Good People", by Rabbi Harold Kushner, and LDS theology,agree that while God can make miracles happen, He, generally, cannot go against the laws of nature. Each person chooses their own path, be it mostly good or mostly evil. Black chose mostly evil.

None of us can say whether God helped the officers put the pieces together; we weren't in their brains and hearts. Whether or not He did is irrelevant right now. The only important piece is that a murdered, rapist, kidnapper, thief and scofflaw has been captured. I am sad for Black for choosing to commit such despicable acts.

My compassion and prayers go to little Sierra's family. Sierra is at peace now. Her family still has a lifetime of pain, a trial, and to see justice. For their sake, I hope they can forgive, and not let this tear the rest of their family apart. They will need God's help to do that.

Part 2

As for Black's family...I doubt they were aware that their husband and father was capable of these types of crimes. I hope, for their sake, they are not ostracized by their Ward and neighbors. They need comfort and love, as well.

I do not agree with the death penalty. Normally, I would say to have him put in solitary for the rest of his life, with no possibility of parole. In this case, let me go into general population. The vast majority of men in jail have no patience for a child killer...

To all who are concerned by those who question divine intervention...divine intervention doesn't mean nothing ever bad will happen but it does mean when bad things do happen, God can "intervene" to help, assist, strengthen etc. hence that's why it's called "intervention".

What can be said for sure is that there is a place in heaven for this little girl, there is a place in hell for this evil man, and God's knowledge and understanding reach further and comprehend much more than this tiny space of time we call "life". It is a poor effort at best to question God with the incredibly small/ finite intelligence we personally possess.

Incredible credit to the officer who followed his promptings, thus enabling divine intervention.

I also cringed when "divine intervention" was cited. While it is fine for the police officer who was so quick to add this up and find closure for this family to claim a higher source inspired him (this time), it insults all police officers who are trained to investigate and work hard on every case to not be able to bring closure and answers to all families.

I thought the picture of Bigelow was a picture of the killer.
How about a new title: Heroic Cop's Sixth Sense Leads To Arrest.

I've never understood how someone can believe that God will not intervene when a child is being tortured and murdered because, as they put it, God must allow that person his free will. The same people pray that they'll get a new job, or something like that, and God intervenes to bless you for paying your tithing. Has not God impinged on that employer's free will by intervening and causing them to hire you? It's the ultimate level of arrogance, in my mind, to dismiss the real suffering of millions around the world by simply saying, "God must have a purpose," and then simultaneously believe that he's so involved in your affairs as to help you locate your lost car keys.

I wonder if Terry Black spotted Sierra while the neighbors were watching the neighborhood fire on June 23rd. It would be interesting to see if any of the local TV networks have news footage from June 23 of the individuals gathered watching the fire in West Valley City. Its just strange to me that Terry would strike within 48 hours of that incident.

So glad they got him.
Sounds like divine intervention to me. To say it wasn't because if it was divine intervention, then it would have been stopped somehow before he committed this crime is short sighted to say the least. News from around the world on a daily basis indicates terrible things happen, and around here a lot less than other parts of the world. Is God expected to stop all heinous crimes everywhere, before they start? Or do we consider ourselves here to be extra special?
If he HAD been caught entering the house before he got her out the door, he would be free and out on the streets again pretty quickly.

OHBU

It's not hard to comprehend. I have four kids and sometimes I let them suffer the consequences of their actions or the actions of others taken against my kids. If I step in every time a kid bullies my children, then they will never learn how to deal with a bully.

I have also helped my kids find their lost shoes at times when they really ask and need them, and other times I have made them find their shoes themselves.

What has come of this little girls murder is a community united, expressions of compassion toward a family many of us have never met, greater love for our neighbors, an inward look at how much we love our own kids, and many other good things human kind can find from a tragedy. Would we have those things if this tragedy had never happened? Maybe, maybe not, and I am not here to tell you God wanted this to happen to bring a community together.

The fact is, you can't stop EVERY bad thing in the world, but if you belive in God, you CAN find good from the bad.

Divine intervention would have been saving the poor young girl from the murder in the first place.

Doesn't surprise me, however, that Utah police would give credit to God for solving the case.

It matters not in this case how the apprehension of the suspect is classified. If the evidence is strong enough to convince a jury "of his peers" beyond a reasonable doubt of his guilt then justice on this earth can be carried out. Whatever justice is delivered I doubt it will do very much to sooth the pain and anguish of this poor girls family.

I'm so glad that the family will get closure. But why can't you just credit the intelligence and quick thinking of the humans who worked on the case. Why must the glory and praise be stolen from them and attributed to something unseen? I think the detectives who worked on this case are deserving of every bit of praise we can heap upon them.

I agree with EPJ that pornography is almost assuredly at the root of this. I would also be surprised if his own background as a child did not have lax parenting.

When we ask how a person can turn into such a monster, I really think most of us on this planet are capable of amazing heights or unbelievable depths. I am guessing that his own wife and children did not think he was the most incredibly awful husband and father they could imagine, or his wife would have divorced him and taken the kids as far away as possible. He had clearly managed to fool them regarding part of his personality. But because he chose not to bring himself above his base desires for the sake of those around him (and because pornography is legally and quite readily available), he has devastated the lives of Sierra's family, his own family, and many others close to them.