UT - Kylen Schulte, 24, & Crystal Beck, 38, newlywed couple found dead, Grand County, 18 Aug 2021

[Seattle1]

Kylen and Crystal were employed "locals" that had ties to the community. Car camping during the summer months was also their normal as their van was left parked in town at McDonald's where Crystal worked.

Reportedly, an assailant raped and shot the defenseless women multiple times. I don't think this murder had anything to do with real estate.

This attack was violent, hateful, and probably intended as a message and/or warning. IMO, somebody wanted them silenced and gone. What did they know? What did they see? The silence by investigators is very disturbing. Most likely (i.e., LE silence) all in the name of tourism.

 

[RstJ]

But how to explain the sexual assault? That's what keeps bringing it back to Creeper Man.

R.st.J

 

[JayWill]

Kylen and Crystal were employed "locals" that had ties to the community. Car camping during the summer months was also their normal as their van was left parked in town at McDonald's where Crystal worked.

Reportedly, an assailant raped and shot the defenseless women multiple times. I don't think this murder had anything to do with real estate.

This attack was violent, hateful, and probably intended as a message and/or warning. IMO, somebody wanted them silenced and gone. What did they know? What did they see? The silence by investigators is very disturbing. Most likely (i.e., LE silence) all in the name of tourism.

IMO, it would be enough for some bigoted person or people that they were a same sex couple.

 

[Yuletide]

Also entirely possible in my opinion that the murderer murdered them and left and the creeper committed post mortem sexual assault or abuse of a corpse as was stated in one of the warrants. Jmo

 

[Yuletide]

Also entirely possible in my opinion that the murderer murdered them and left and the creeper committed post mortem sexual assault or abuse of a corpse as was stated in one of the warrants. Jmo

 

[Missing Susan]

Is there any clarification as to if the creepy guy described by the women was contacted by anyone? That is my impression reading some posts regarding what the father had said at some point.

 

[Jazzy5980]

Is it possible the Kylen and Crystal were murdered because of a drug debt? Based on the pleading in Crystal’s parenting case it is apparent that she had drug problems in the past and worked hard to address them. However, said debts can have long-term consequences. For example three women were murdered in cold blood in a beauty salon in Florence, MT a number of years ago. Suspect arrested but subsequently released. Allegedly suspect shot the women because the salon owner’s son owed a big time drug dealer money.

 

[Jazzy5980]

The MT murders were extremely violent in that victims’ throats were slit.

 

[mickey2942]

@Seattle1 this may be an unpopular opinion, but dead lesbians, are probably not the #1 priority of LEO in Moab, UT. Heck, those gals probably never even went to church!

(You gotta know Central and Southern Utah...).

 

[Seattle1]

@Seattle1 this may be an unpopular opinion, but dead lesbians, are probably not the #1 priority of LEO in Moab, UT. Heck, those gals probably never even went to church!

(You gotta know Central and Southern Utah...).

I only recall that Grand County allegedly has the least number of LDS in the State and that Moab is cited with only 55% of its residents claiming to be religious.

And interesting that Moab makes the top 10 LGBTO friendly small towns in the US...

Best LGBTQ-friendly US small towns

https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/utah/moab

 

[Seattle1]

Is it possible the Kylen and Crystal were murdered because of a drug debt? Based on the pleading in Crystal’s parenting case it is apparent that she had drug problems in the past and worked hard to address them. However, said debts can have long-term consequences. For example three women were murdered in cold blood in a beauty salon in Florence, MT a number of years ago. Suspect arrested but subsequently released. Allegedly suspect shot the women because the salon owner’s son owed a big time drug dealer money.

A few years after that happened, I learned about this from a State Trooper when I commuted to Hamilton weekly via Hwy 93 late at night. Take money from a dealer and you're dead.

11/29/21 https://www.kpax.com/news/mtn-original-productions/the-florence-murders-20-years-later

 

[iamnotagolem]

My current theory is its drug related. They found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and storage unit, so I’m assuming she was still using.

 

[Seattle1]

My current theory is its drug related. They found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and storage unit, so I’m assuming she was still using.

I recall there was a scale found in the van parked in Moab with cannabis residue but not with them where they were camping. The "drugs" reference were also Rx meds -- similar to what you'd likely find in any of my old handbags -- a cheap shot, IMO. Clonazepam is an anti-seizure Rx, and possibly one or both victims had legitimate medical MJ use cards. The storage unit was shared with Kylen's dad. Drug paraphernalia could have been dad's pipe. IMO, big-time users (as in murder) would never leave their stash elsewhere inviting robbery/break-in or suspicion and reason for a warrant search. 'Don't borrow trouble' as granddad would say. And Crystal was subject to being drug tested.

https://www.drugtestpanels.com/blogs/articles/mcdonalds-drug-test-policy-2021

Per MSM, I'm only aware of two search warrants -- the first unsealed search warrant was executed on Aug 19 (Search Warrant No. 2305111)-- essentially covering the content of their vehicles, a Kia Sorrento (located at crime scene) and Ford Econoline (located at McDonald's parking lot, Moab, UT).

Inventory from the Ford Econoline pursuant to the warrant included the following:

1 Black journal with newspaper clippings, miscellaneous mail and paystubs for the two victims as well as for Sean Schulte, a bible, miscellaneous notes with phone numbers and other handwritten information, an electronic scale with residue which tested positive for marijuana, a glass pipe with green leafy residue, a small plastic container with green leafy residue, a black Samsung Galaxy 8 which was heavily damaged, 10 blue pills identified as Clonazapam, 13 white pills identified as Ibuprofen, 9 capsules identified as Amoxicillin, and 1.5 pink pills identified as Prednisone

The second warrant executed Sept 20 requested a “tower dump” from a cell tower at Jimmy Keen Flats, not far from the campsite of Schulte and Turner, from 9 p.m. on August 13 through 9 a.m. on Sunday, August 15. Additionally, the affidavit states this could be limited to “those phones that are only within two miles of the crime scene.”

[..]

According to investigators, a single Samsung cellphone was found at the crime scene and is currently considered evidence. It is unclear who the phone belongs to.

The affidavit goes on to state that the information is “evidence of the crime or crimes of Murder, conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence, sexual assault, desecration of a corpse, rape.” It is currently unclear what, if anything, was found when the search warrant was executed after being signed by a judge.

Warrant seeks new information in Moab double homicide of Kylen Schulte, Crystal Turner | ABC4 Utah

Warrant reveals additional details in double homicide | The Times-Independent

ETA: In my opinion, there are two Samsung phones in evidence -- 1)Samsung 8 from the Ford Econoline, and 2) Samsung from the campsite/ crime scene.

There are more phones:

A second search warrant was served at A1 Storage Units where the women had a unit that they shared with Schulte's father. More drug paraphernalia, a small amount of drugs, cellphones and tablets were seized, according to the warrant.
(Warrants: If something happens to us, we were murdered, Moab victim told friends)

The article mentions "drugs" two times in kind of a cheap shot kind of way, but that's what was found in both locations. Not sure what to make of it, ( who doesn't have at least 2 or 3 old cellphones in the junk drawer or garage?)

The article doesn't say whether the phones were active.

R.st.J

 

[swedeheart]

The Justice Files: In search of a gun | ABC4 Utah

Jensen learned of a police report in Cortez, Colorado. That’s where a Moab man report his 9mm along with two other weapons were stolen from his camper in late June.

“What he reported was that a Turkish 9mm was stolen and what he’s talking about is a custom 9mm,” Jensen said. “And this is what a Turkish 9mm looks like.”

 

[katydid23]

The Justice Files: In search of a gun | ABC4 Utah

Jensen learned of a police report in Cortez, Colorado. That’s where a Moab man report his 9mm along with two other weapons were stolen from his camper in late June.

“What he reported was that a Turkish 9mm was stolen and what he’s talking about is a custom 9mm,” Jensen said. “And this is what a Turkish 9mm looks like.”

That kind of fits into place with my feelings about this tragic case. I have leaned towards this being a transient/thief/predator that happened upon two women, and took it as an opportunity.

If the killer stole those guns from a camper, that would tell us that he sometimes lurked around camping areas, looking for places to burglarise. He may have been driving around doing that when he stumbled upon two women, and he decided he could overtake them because it was a remote camp site and he could blindside them. JMO

 

[almagata]

The Justice Files: In search of a gun | ABC4 Utah

Jensen learned of a police report in Cortez, Colorado. That’s where a Moab man report his 9mm along with two other weapons were stolen from his camper in late June.

“What he reported was that a Turkish 9mm was stolen and what he’s talking about is a custom 9mm,” Jensen said. “And this is what a Turkish 9mm looks like.”

Stolen guns from a camp site would fit . Stealing stuff from other campers would help keep him off the grid. If this guy steals, food, clothing camping equipment, gas and other necessities, it might be wise for the cops to ask people to report other random items that went missing from camps sites in the region during the summer to present. They also might ask about people who were given work that were passing through.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

The Justice Files: In search of a gun | ABC4 Utah

Jensen learned of a police report in Cortez, Colorado. That’s where a Moab man report his 9mm along with two other weapons were stolen from his camper in late June.

“What he reported was that a Turkish 9mm was stolen and what he’s talking about is a custom 9mm,” Jensen said. “And this is what a Turkish 9mm looks like.”

Cortez, CO is not far from Moab, a bit over 100 miles to the southeast, and in the same general direction as La Sal. The thief could have been moving about the area in various campgrounds in this sparsely populated region.

 

[evilwise]

I want to explicitly agree that I think this was the work of an opportunistic, "transient" psycho. Someone who hangs around in houseless communities taking what he can when he can. He came into possession of weapons and soon after, two lone women crossed his path. Maybe if he saw them being intimate with one another it might have been a factor but he probably isn't some "homophobe" per se.

Basically there is nothing about this case yet that shows it to be anything other than 1988 and Rebecca Wight all over again.

 

[Cryptic]

Is it possible the Kylen and Crystal were murdered because of a drug debt? Based on the pleading in Crystal’s parenting case it is apparent that she had drug problems in the past and worked hard to address them. However, said debts can have long-term consequences.

I think it is very possible, and maybe the Occam's razor explanation. In addition to the case you cited, a teenager was murdered in my city by fellow suburban users /mega small time dealers over a $300 marijuana debt. The movie Alpha Dogs was very accurately based on a murder over a $1,200 pot debt.

In the end, the annals of American crime are full of over kill violence related to small drug debts owed to dimwits. But... I dont think that this motive led to the deaths of these two women.

I suspect the police would run down a drug motive fast: Toxicology or friends confirm victim was still using? Ask her circle of friends if she had a debt or "credit account" with a local dealer. ID small time drug connection for the BBB bar etc. Put him under a microscope- and do not let him up.

Rather, I think the motive is what @evilwise is describing: A opportunistic and violently inclined transient notices two vulnerable women. The fact that they were lesbians probably did not help their situation, but may not be an over riding factor.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I agree with @evilwise and @Cryptic. I wasn't familiar with Rebecca Wight. There doesn't seem to be a WS thread for her, but info about her is easily found elsewhere. It does sound a lot more like her situation than it does a drug/debt-related killing. Especially so because we've seen little evidence for anything other than casual pot smoking. The few prescription meds found in the couple's van didn't sound like drugs of abuse.