Every Town - The HI-FI Murders: One Of The Most Brutal Cases In American History

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

This is a crime so cruel and unusual, that it still haunts the state of Utah to this very day. And despite being one of the the most brutal cases in American history, not everybody knows the true story behind it. 👀 Watch This Episode On Youtube: https://youtu.be/a8CkGhpEJ6w 👁 Check out our movie AN ANGRY BOY for FREE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvtlOlODQ8g&t=5238s https://tubitv.com/movies/100029672/an-angry-boy International & Other Ways To Watch: https://www.anangryboy.com/ 💀 MERCH: https://scary-mysteries.teemill.com/ 💀 Free 7 Day Trail on Exclusive Episodes, Podcasts & Perks! https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries   🎧 Our Other Podcast Scary Mysteries: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZooEZMoZ421WdsOVJhVkT 👁 X: https://x.com/ScaryMysteries1 👁 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.fitzg 👁 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewfitzgerald 👁 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarymysteriesofficial 👁 X: https://x.com/ScaryMysteries1 🗣 Business Inquiries, questions and comments hit us up at [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between.

With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime. Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every town has a dark side. 50 years ago on this day, a group of men tortured and killed three people during a robbery at an Ogden electronic store. Ogden police respond to the high-fi stereo shop for a crime unlike anything the community had ever seen.

In 1974, the city of Ogden was shocked to find three people murdered. And this is a crime so cruel and unusual, but it still haunts the state of Utah to this very day. And despite being one of the most brutal cases in all of America's history, not everybody knows the true story behind it. And what started is a simple robbery at a local electronics store, quickly spiraled into a horrific act of violence, one so depraved that even veteran investigators were left shaken. And torture, execution-style murders,

and a level of cruelty that defied logic, the worst part of it all, the perpetrators showed no remorse. And hey guys, it's Andrew, and thanks for tuning in to another episode of Everytown, but today we're diving into a case that will leave you speechless. This one is not for the feign of heart, so a little bit of a warning there. Now, let's head on over to Ogden, Utah, and discover the truth behind the high-fi murders. Ogden is a beautiful little city that sits around 40 minutes north of Salt Lake. Mountains, as far as the eye can see, behind its streets lined with buildings and homes.

And today, the population sits at around 87,000. But back in 1974, when our story takes place, it wasn't even half that. Back then, there wasn't any sign of corporate America creeping in. There were mostly mom-and-pop shops and restaurants. And among them was the hi-fi shop, located at 23-23 Washington Boulevard, which was one of the main thoroughfares that ran through town. The hi-fi was a home audio store, which are essentially obsolete today. But back then, you'd go there to buy speakers and record players.

or have your radio system repaired. On the evening of April 22nd of 1974, 20-year-old Stanley Walker, an 18-year-old Michelle Ansley, were working the closing shift. It was a Monday, one of the more slow days of the week, so they were cleaning things up

and just waiting to clock out. As the two of them prepped to lock up, the bell above the door chimed, signaling someone had come in. Only, this wasn't a customer, and wasn't even just one person. The four men stormed into the store, waving pistols. And they quickly overpowered, Stanley and Michelle, who had no choice but to comply.

And these were basically kids working minimum wage jobs, and they had no weapons. And binding their hands and feet, they forced them down to the store's basement before heading back to the main floor. And their intent was clear, it seemed. They had come to rob the place, which is exactly what they did. From outside, the intruders had two vans waiting, ready to be loaded with all the stolen valuables. While left scared in the basement, Stanley and Michelle hoped that soon the robbers would take what they wanted and leave. But this night was only just getting started. And what should have been, nothing more than a financial loss for the store owner,

an inconvenience involving insurance claims and some paperwork, would instead become one of the most infamous crimes in Utah's history, leaving five lives forever changed. I'm unaware of what was happening inside, because after all, this was Ogden, where not much ever happened. 16-year-old Courtney Nasbit arrived at the store about an hour into the robbery. He had simply stopped by to thank his friend Stanley for letting him park in the store's lot earlier that day while running some errands close by.

As Courtney stepped through the door, though, it wasn't his friend Stanley who he would see. Instead, he was met by. by a man he didn't recognize who pointed a gun straight at his face. Before Courtney could even begin to process what was happening, he was bound and forced downstairs into the basement, where he joined a terrified Stanley and Michelle. And for Courtney, it was a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Michelle, too, had unknowingly stepped into fate's cruel grip that night. If she hadn't originally been scheduled to even work that evening, she just agreed to cover a shift for a co-worker out of the kindness of her heart. And time was ticking by when the guys were stealing things with ease and no one was around to bother them. But someone was bothered when their son hadn't come home, as he usually did when he was done with work. And that was Stanley's dad, Orin.

He grew concerned and it was completely out of character. I mean, Stanley always called if he was going to be late, but on that night, there were no words. from him at all. Warren jumped into his car and figured he'd check himself, drove on down to the high-fi store. Within moments after entering, he found out where Stanley was, as he too was tied up and brought downstairs with the rest of the crew. And the basement population was growing quickly, and the robbers began to panic. And too many people had seen them at this point, and their plan was unraveling, and they were losing control. But one more victim would soon be added to the

lunch. Like Orrin, Courtney's mother, 52-year-old Carol Nasbit began worrying when her son hadn't come home either. And she drove to the store to see what was happening and quickly found herself in the basement, making her the fifth and final hostage. And the robbers stole more than $24,000 worth of electrical goods before taking off, leaving the five victims behind. After being left in the basement for an additional three hours, the hostages were finally discovered by Orrin's wife, Stanley's mother. She, too, had grown concerned when her son and husband were unreachable. Upon entering the shop, she heard noises coming from the basement, along with her other son,

who she brought along with her. They knocked down the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the nightmare they were about to uncover. In the damp darkness down there, her son Stanley was already gone, along with his co-worker, 18-year-old Michelle. Nearby Carol Nasbit and her son Courtney were barely clinging to life, and their bodies ravaged by the torture they had endured. Warren Walker was still holding on, but he was in critical condition. Emergency services arrived swiftly, but for Carol it was too late.

She succumbed to her injuries shortly after being rushed to St. Benedict's Hospital. And Courtney remained unconscious, his body broken by the extreme brutality he had suffered. and doctors were unsure if he would even ever wake up. And this left Orin as the only conscious survivor, and the only chance for investigators to gain answers about what had truly happened in the basement that night. So, what did occur? Now, how did it a robbery end in the death of three innocent victims?

According to Orin, while they were down there, they could hear two of the men discussing getting something from one of the two vans outside. Eventually, one of the robberers, was sent out, and he returned a few minutes later, holding a bottle that was hidden in a brown paper bag. And two of the men then made their way down to the basement stairs, with the worst of intentions. One of them partially freed Orrin from his restraints at this point, while another poured a glass of the bluish-green liquid from the mystery bottle before handing it to Orin

and ordering him to give the liquid to the other prisoners. And the father refused. He wasn't going to be a part of whatever they had planned. And frustrated, the robbers quickly restrained him again. And if he wouldn't do it, they'd do it themselves. The captors forced the five hostages to sit against the wall. One of the men calmly assured them that the liquid, a mix of vodka and sleeping pills, was harmless. Its only purpose he claimed was to render them unconscious so they could make their escape without interference. By the time they woke up,

what would all be over and they could go home, safe and sound of their families, and act like none of this had ever happened. With little choice but to obey, each one took down some of the drink. But the moment the liquid touched their lips, it was clear this was no cocktail, no sedative, because almost instantly their mouths and throats erupted

in unbearable pain as the substance burned through flesh, causing blisters and raw oozing. lesions upon contact. Orrin, having worked with chemicals before, recognized the symptoms immediately. This wasn't vodka laced with sleeping pills, it was a corrosive substance, and likely a strong acid. Based on the violent reaction, his best guess was hydrochloric acid, a chemical known for its destructive effects on organic tissue. Orin said that Michelle had been begging the men to spare her, but her pleas were ignored, and she was forced to drink the liquid. The men even tried to use duct tape to keep the victim's mouths shut with the acid still inside. However, because of the

burn damage to their skin, the duct tape would no longer stick to their mouths. Not being able to tape them shut allowed the captives to scream and cry out in agony, infuriating the men. Orrin knew it was going to cause irreversible damage if he drank it, so at first he sped. He sped, he sped. He said, batted out. They began to beat him because of this and demanded he'd drink up. So in the end, Orrin took it in. I'm desperate to survive. He pretended to swallow it, only to slowly let it run out of the sides of his mouth.

The pain was excruciating, but it was certainly better than if it was inside of him. Looking around, Orin saw the effects the chemical was having on the others and began to mimic their actions the best he could. He was forced to witness the scream. and convulsions of his own son, along with the others. The men took this opportunity to rob them, stealing their watches and other valuable possessions. As the victims suffered, the men began to grow angrier with every passing second.

Their patience had run out, as if in their discussions they had come to the conclusion that everyone would and should die instantly. And finally, one of the men snapped. After drawing his pistol from his waistband, he took Carolyn Courtney. shot them both individually in the back of the head. And Carol died instantly, but shockingly Courtney survived the shot.

The men also fired at Oren, but they missed. And Oren remained still, though. Despite being in constant pain, he managed to keep quiet. His goal was simply to convince the shooter that he was dead, and that was his best chance to survive this. Orrin heard one of the men tell his accomplice to go upstairs, and then return at about a half hour. the man willingly obliged.

After he left, that man took Michelle to a separate corner, where he ordered her to remove her clothes. After that, I'm sure you can guess what happened. And he did it in front of everyone. Oran, while remaining, is still as possible, then listened to her final plea. She begged the shooter, saying, Please, I'm too young to die.

Ignoring her cries, then dragged her still naked back to the other victims, He pushed her face first into the ground, then shot her in the back of the head. The other man returned from upstairs, and they went to check on their victims. And this is when they realized that Orrin was in fact still alive. The shooter knelt on Orrin's chest and attempted to strangle him with a wire. When it was taking too long, the shooter gave up and released his grip. Orrin gasped and coughed, but he was still alive.

As if he hadn't suffered enough, the second man then inserted a pen into Orrin's ear, and both men began stomping on it. They forced it through his eardrum, and it came out through his throat. Certainly should have killed him, but by some miracle it didn't. However, it was enough to convince the men they had done enough. Leaving Orin and the others in the basement, the robbers loaded up the rest of their goods and quickly left in the getaway vans. A few hours later, Oran's wife and son would discover them.

The police arrived shortly after 10 p.m. met in the parking lot by Stanley's hysterical mother who kept repeating, they've been shot over and over again. Over at the hospital, Courtney was in critical condition and not expected to survive. In fact, he spent 266 days in there, many of which were in intensive care before being released. However, even after his discharge, he would never be able to return to a normal life. He suffered from severe brain damage and amnesia. So much so, in fact, that when it came time for a trial, he was ultimately deemed unfit to testify.

Oran Walker, despite his own severe injuries and lengthy recovery, was able to provide the police with a detailed description of the two men responsible for the incident that night. He described the man who fired the gun as a short black male wearing glasses and speaking with a Caribbean accent. The other man was also a man. African-American, but he was taller and had a larger build. Additionally, Oren was able to describe one of the vans driven by a third man.

He noted that it was either yellow or cream in color. He also mentioned that there may have been as many as three additional men. Beyond the three, he could clearly identify. The investigators knew that the robbery had been well planned out, but the level of violence was so unnecessary that it left them unsure if this was personal in some sort of way. or even part of the motive. The following day, the investigation got a huge break and two teenage boys went out dumpster diving

and came across wallets and other possessions belonging to the high five victims. That dumpster was in an interesting location and was on the property of Hill Air Force Base. Police later learned the suspects were airmen from Hill Air Force Base. Officers played it smart and brought out all the airmen so they had a large crowd around them.

Using this to their advantage, the detectives turned it into a shell. One of them pulled the items out and showed them around the crowd one by one while scanning the audience carefully, looking for any sort of reaction. The gamble paid off. The detective spotted two men in uniform. Unlike the others, these two seem panicked. They also grew increasingly restless as further items were being pulled from the dumpster. The detective noted that the two men were pacing up and down rather furiously

and engaged one another in a series of heated exchanges. The men also matched Orrin Walker's description of the men and the killers. The two men in question were Dale Pierre and William Andrews, two names that had already been mentioned. Because just hours after the news of the crime was released, an Air Force officer had called in a tip, where he had mentioned both Pierre and Andrews' names, along with the third, Keith Roberts.

According to the tip, the men had been heard bragging to one day rob the hi-fi store. At the time, no one took them seriously, but that all changed, of course, when it actually happened. The tit and detective's instincts were enough for a judge to grant a search warrant of the men's barracks. The warrant, however, would not be required. And the base commanders were happy to let them in.

And if these guys were innocent, they wanted their names cleared, and if they were guilty, they wanted them out of the Air Force immediately. The findings were damning for the three men to say the least. First, the detectives uncovered a poster of the film Magnum Force. Although seemingly innocent enough, this poster would become an important piece of evidence. See in the movie, there's a serial killer who in one scene is forcing a woman to drink Drano, which kills her immediately. and perhaps what these men were expecting to happen when they used it on the five victims in the basement. Later interviews, all three men said that they had watched the movie multiple times.

Furthermore, detectives found pieces of paper hidden underneath the carpet. Between the carpet and the padding was a folded piece of paper. And as I opened the paper, it was a lease agreement for a storage unit that was just about a block from the high-fi shop. So we went over to the storage unit that night and opened the door and it was filled with all this high-fi equipment that was stolen from the store. Perhaps even more disturbing was a list uncovered by police. A list consisted of multiple stores holding expensive goods.

The high-fi store was positioned right at the very top. If they had not been caught, would they have gone on to rob and murder more? And who would have been next? The final piece of evidence was a plastic bottle containing the mystery liquid that the victims were forced to drink. So, what was this liquid that caused such agonizing burns? It was oren right and assuming it was acid. The mystery liquid was nothing more than a store-bought Drano brand sink-unblocker. And suddenly the Magnum Forest poster held so much more significance.

Finally, the hospital staff knew what they were dealing with and could begin treating Courtney and Orrin properly. The investigators believe there were three more men besides Pierre, Andrew, and Roberts. After conducting interviews, they determined that Roberts was the driver of one of the two vans. However, although they had suspicions about the other three men, and they were never able to find enough evidence to bring charges against them. So, to this day, they've never been caught.

But as for the three that were, 21-year-old Dale Pierre was by far the most violent of the group. He was the man who pulled the trigger, the one who took Michelle to the corner of that basement. I just, you know, just continued shooting. I figured I'd shot Mrs. Nesbert and I just started shooting everybody else. Interestingly, just prior to this, and shortly after his arrival of the base, he became the prime suspect in the October 5th, 1973 murder of Air Force Sergeant Edward Jefferson. Pierre Dale Selby is an airman stationed at Hill Air Force Base. he's already a suspect in another murder.

Police get a search warrant for his barracks. However, due to insufficient evidence, authorities couldn't file charges against him. It's safe to say that if he wasn't arrested, he probably would have gone on to kill again. At the time of the murders, he was living in the barrack near the dumpster where the belongings were found. Pierre was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder

and two gouts of aggravated robbery for his role in the high-fire crime. as a result, he was sentenced to three death sentences, one for each murder victim in total. On August 28, the 1987 at the age of 34, he was killed by lethal injection. The second of the high-fied killers was 19-year-old William Andrews. Like Pierre, he was a helicopter mechanic at Hill Air Force Base. During the trial, it was revealed that he and Pierre had secretly planned all along to kill anyone they encountered while robbing the store. He was also convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated robbery.

His death sentence was particularly controversial, though, as he did not personally carry out the killings, though he admitted to forcefully administering Drano to the victims. In action, he believed was going to kill them, so he clearly had an intent to murder. Anyone as human would have remorse for what happened. I'm very ashamed of my participation in that crime. I feel a lot of remorse for the victims and the family of the victims. And his execution was initially scheduled for August 22nd of 89, but he was repeatedly granted stays of execution by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

But on July 30th of 92, the age of 37, it happened after having spent 18 years on death row. The final convicted man was Keith Roberts, who was only 19. at the time of the crime. Initially, he denied any involvement in the robbery, but during his trial, he finally admitted to being the getaway driver, claiming he believed the store would be empty. Apparently, until the story broke on the news,

Roberts didn't even know anyone had been killed. He was convicted on two counts of aggravated robbery and sentenced to five years to life in prison depending on his behavior. After serving nearly 13 years, Roberts was paroled in 87. He relocated a Chandler, Oklahoma, to live with his relatives. By 1989, he was reported to be working out of all places in an electronics store.

On August 8th of 1992, just over a week after Andrew's execution, Roberts took a gun and left this earthly plane. Both Warren and Courtney managed to survive the horrific violence. They were forced to endure, over their lives would never be the same. Warren lived until April of 2000 when he passed away at the age of 69, and Courtney managed to overcome his injuries as well as the death of his mother. He returned to high school and graduated with his class in 76. It seemed to be doing well for a while, but sadly, he had trouble keeping a steady job and relied on Social Security to get by. In just two years after Orrin, Courtney died on June 4th of 2002 at just 44 years old, having suffered.

chronic pain since the tragic events of that night. So that's going to do it for this week's episode of Everytown. Hope you guys enjoyed it. If you're craving more, check out some of our other videos right here. And for exclusive episodes, darker, deeper dives you won't find anywhere else. Add over to our Patreon channel. Make sure to join us next week for another tale of the strange, the eerie, and the downright terrifying.

Because you never know, maybe your town will be next. Thank you.