Iowa Man Admits to Murder Spree, Killing Three 'Random' Women: 'It Had to Be Done'

A 22-year-old Iowa resident is charged with murdering three women during a 'random' killing spree that left a Utah community in shock.

Ivan Miller, 22, has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Utah residents Natalie Graves, 34, Linda Dewey, 65, and Margaret Oldroyd, 86. According to court documents obtained by The Guardian, Miller admitted to the killings, citing money problems as the reason.

Miller said 'he had not liked to do it,' but he needed money to go back to Iowa, so 'it had to be done.' On 4 March, the bodies of Graves and her aunt, Dewey, were discovered by their husbands on a dry creek bed at Capitol Reef National Park. Deputies later found Oldroyd's body in her Lyman home, 20 minutes from the park trailhead.

Murder Spree Claims Three Victims

Per initial investigation, a Bureau of Land Management ranger responded to the crime scene where Graves and Dewey were discovered. Spent shell casings were found near the bodies, and the victims' white Subaru was missing. Nearby, the ranger also found a shotgun shell and a vehicle that was registered to Oldroyd.

According to the New York Times, Miller was in the middle of a cross-country road trip during the killings. Per court documents, he told police that he shot Oldroyd after spending a night at a shed on the victim's property.

Miller left the property in Oldroyd's vehicle, but he ditched it when he saw Dewey and Graves' Subaru at the park. He killed the pair, dragged them to a ditch, and took their vehicle.

Using data from its key fob, the Subaru was initially tracked to Farmington, New Mexico. A license plate reader then placed the vehicle at Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where authorities found it abandoned.

Suspect Arrested with Damning Evidence

At around 2:45am on 5 March, police found Miller loitering in an area near the vehicle. He had in his possession all three victims' IDs, debit and credit cards. He was also carrying a .45-calibre pistol.

During his interview, Miller told police that he sold his truck to a tow company after hitting an elk on his way to Utah. Gary Brian, a local auto parts store owner, picked up Miller and towed his vehicle.

'He was just a normal person,' Brian told KUTV. 'He didn't act like someone that would do that,' Brian added. 'He just acted like a normal person that I towed.'

Community Shocked by Senseless Killings

Lyman Mayor Burke Torgerson said the killings left his community in shock. 'It was just so hard for us to believe. It was just so shocking,' he told KSL News Utah. 'What would make a young man do something like that – just randomly?' One of the victims, Oldroyd, was Torgerson's cousin.

In a released statement, Dewey and Graves' family mourned the senseless killings. 'Our family is dealing with the shock of the devastating loss of two members of our family who were bonding over the beauty of a hike in one of their favourite places on earth – cherished by them and the community, considered to be a safe sanctuary,' they said. 'They were murdered. We cannot comprehend why this happened.'

Earlier this year, Miller was arrested in Iowa for allegedly breaking into a state park. He was released on bail, according to The Washington Post.