On May 1, 2021, 51-year-old Kevin Ray Hettich was found dead on Hansen Avenue in Salt Lake City with significant head trauma. The Salt Lake City Police opened a homicide investigation after discovering his body.

Investigators identified 42-year-old Nathaniel Joseph Kenyon as a suspect. Surveillance showed a man later identified as Kenyon carrying a metal pipe near where Hettich was found. Police say Kenyon allegedly attacked another person sleeping on a porch in the same area just before the fatal encounter; that victim suffered head injuries and a possible broken arm. Kenyon was located and arrested the day after Hettich’s body was found.

During questioning, Kenyon reportedly admitted to killing Hettich, called it a mercy killing, and said he dragged the body out of the road. He also said he felt an evil feeling and believed Hettich was waiting to kill him, asserting self-defense in both incidents. Kenyon was charged with murder and aggravated assault, but a court-ordered competency evaluation found him not competent to stand trial; he was civilly committed rather than held for criminal trial.

If anyone knew Hettich or saw activity on Hansen Avenue around May 1, 2021, please share any information that could help clarify what happened.