Police: Suspect in 85-year-old's death in custody

MURRAY, Utah (AP) - The man police believe is the suspect in the death of an 85-year-old Murray woman has been taken into custody.

Murray police detective Kenny Bass says 49-year-old Christen James Spencer was booked into the Davis County Jail on Wednesday on an unrelated federal hold.

Bass says detectives are investigating Spencer’s connection to the death of Shirley Sharp, whose body was found inside her burning home on Jan. 25. Medical examiners say she died of trauma to the head.

Police made the discovery after a Utah Transit Authority police officer pulled over a car in a bus-loading zone. The male driver later drove off, but police traced the car’s license plate number to Sharp’s home, which was on fire.

Charges haven’t been filed against Spencer in Sharp’s death.