Bennie Jewkes Bushnell, 26, was managing the City Center Motel in Provo, Utah, on the evening of July 20, 1976, when he was robbed and shot in the head. His wife discovered him shortly afterward; he died of the wound. The attacker, identified as Gary Gilmore, had entered the motel, forced Bushnell to lie down, and shot him.

Evidence tying Gilmore to the killing included an eyewitness who placed him in the motel office with a pistol and a cash box moments before Bushnell was found, ballistics linking the fatal bullet to a gun Gilmore had hidden, and a trail of his own blood. That trail began when Gilmore accidentally shot himself in the hand while trying to discard the weapon; a mechanic who noticed blood and later recorded Gilmore’s license plate reported it to police. Gilmore surrendered to Utah State Police as he attempted to leave Provo.

The jury found Gilmore guilty of first-degree murder and recommended the death penalty. Does anyone have memories of the Provo area in July 1976 or information about Bennie Bushnell’s life that could add context to this case?