Arrest warrant issued for murder in 1972 closed Vernal case

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

An arrest warrant has now been issued for Darrell 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:Nearly 50 years later, the suspect was identified in a Uintah County criminal case

KUTV spoke with Ray back in 2022.

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

According to court documents, the woman told police she and Nickel had parked in a rest area on Hwy 40 west of Vernal.

The woman told police a man approached them and said there had been an accident on Hwy 40 and asked Nickell to drive through 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 aimed at her.

His car and body were later burned after another man joined the suspect and stole Nickell’s car. Two men allegedly kidnapped and raped a woman.

DNA was taken from the woman and stored for observation when appropriate technology was available.

In 2015, Uintah County investigators reviewed the evidence.

DNA samples were tested and one suspect was identified as Daniel Bell. Police discovered he died in 2019 in Washington before investigators returned DNA results.

The second suspect, Chot, remained unknown until recently.

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

A Utah lab compared Choate’s DNA to DNA collected in 1972, according to the documents.

Chot directly matches one of the suspects who killed Nickell and raped the 18-year-old.

Ray doesn’t understand why these two men are doing this.

“(Nickel) has been nothing but a contribution to this community. Just a wonderful person. Why would you do that? I don’t think they’ll find an answer,” Ray said.

A warrant request for Choate’s arrest was signed on October 30.

___