Marla Scharp

Marla Scharp was a 26-year-old former Brigham Young University student living and working in Provo, Utah, in the summer of 1978. Remembered by her family for her vibrant spirit, her life was cut short in a crime that would remain unresolved for decades, entangled in the false confessions of one of America's most notorious serial killers. Her siblings, including sister Leah Scharp and brother Craig Scharp, have kept her memory alive, continuing a painful journey for justice that was derailed for 35 years.

On the afternoon of June 29, 1978, Marla was home alone in her apartment for a brief, tragic window of about thirty minutes while her roommates were out. During that short interval, an intruder entered her second-floor bedroom, sexually assaulted her, and manually strangled her to death. Her roommates made the devastating discovery upon their return. Paramedics were called to the residence on June 30, 1978, but it was too late. The perpetrator left behind a strange and specific clue on the bed near Marla’s body: a unique, six-inch-tall Budweiser beer tap handle. Investigators believed it was highly unlikely that the tap handle belonged to Marla or her roommates.

For years, the investigation into Marla's murder appeared to be solved. In 1984, the Provo Police Department closed the case, attributing the homicide to Henry Lee Lucas, a serial killer who claimed responsibility for hundreds of murders across the country. For Marla's family, the knowledge that her supposed killer was caught brought a small measure of comfort, though it could never erase their loss. However, doubts about Lucas's confession lingered, particularly for Marla's brother, Craig, and cousin, Valerie Colgain.

The truth began to unravel decades later. In a 1985 letter addressed to the "people of Provo," Lucas himself recanted his confession, stating, "I never killed the [Scharp] girl." He claimed he was in Maryland at the time of the murder and that police had fed him details of the crime, playing a "guessing game" until he got the facts "straight." It wasn't until November 2019 that his recantation was officially validated. After being approached by Marla's cousin, the Utah Cold Case Coalition, led by Karra Porter, conducted a thorough review. They uncovered forensic evidence from the crime scene that they say Lucas could not have produced. The coalition also found records indicating that law enforcement had provided Lucas with nearly all the information he knew about the murder.

Armed with this compelling new evidence, the coalition presented its findings to the Scharp family and the Provo Police Department. The revelation, Leah Scharp said, "rocked my world." For 41 years, the family had believed a lie. The comfort they once had was shattered by the sickening realization that Marla's true killer was likely still free. Her brother Craig noted the horrible consequence of the false confession, stating, "What Henry Lee Lucas did by claiming that he had murdered these people is he stopped these investigations."

In November 2019, the Provo Police Department officially announced it was reopening the cold case investigation into the murder of Marla Scharp. The announcement brought a renewed push for answers and a public plea for information. Marla's family stood with investigators, sharing photos of Marla and the distinctive beer tap handle, hoping it might jog someone's memory after more than four decades. "I don’t believe in closure, because for something like this, there is no closure," Leah Scharp said. "But somebody killed my sister and they need to be brought to justice.”

As of November 2019, the murder of Marla Scharp remains an active and unsolved investigation. The perpetrator has never been identified or charged. The Provo Police Department continues to seek information from the public that could finally solve this decades-old crime. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Provo Police Department at 801-852-6210.