Arrest Warrant Filed in Vernal 1972 Cold Case Murder

VERNAL, Utah (KUTV) — Documents reveal how authorities finally identified a second suspect in the murder of a Vietnam veteran more than 50 years ago.

An arrest warrant has already been issued for Darrel Eugene Choate for the 1972 murder of 21-year-old Gregory Nickell.

“It was a terrible loss for us,” said Lynnette Ray, Nickell’s sister.

PREVIOUS:A suspect was identified in a cold Uintah County case nearly 50 years later

KUTV spoke with Ray in 2022.

Nickell was shot and killed in 1972 while on a date with an 18-year-old woman.

Court documents say the woman told police she and Nickell parked in a parking lot off Highway 40 west of Vernal.

The woman told police that a man approached them and said there had been an accident on Highway 40 and asked Nickell to drive into town and contact the sheriff.

The man then allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Nickell. The victim told police that Nickell tried to shield her from the bullets because she believed some of the shots were intended for her.

His car and body later burned when another man joined the suspect and stole Nickell’s car. The woman was allegedly kidnapped and raped by two men.

DNA was collected from the woman and stored for follow-up when appropriate technology becomes available.

In 2015, Uintah County investigators re-evaluated the evidence.

DNA samples were tested and one suspect was identified as Daniel Bell. Police discovered he died in 2019 in Washington, D.C., before investigators received DNA test results.

The second suspect, Choate, remained unidentified until recently.

“I just want to look him in the face and ask him why,” Ray said.

The Utah State Laboratory compared Choate’s DNA to DNA collected in 1972, according to the documents.

Choate is a direct match to one of the suspects who murdered Nickell and raped the 18-year-old.

Ray doesn’t understand why these two men would do such a thing.

“(Nickell) was simply an associate of this society. Just a great person. Why would you do that? I don’t think they’ll find the answer,” Ray said.

The application for a warrant for Choate’s arrest was signed on October 30.

___