A Salt Lake City restaurateur and local LGBT rights pioneer died in a house fire early Sunday and police suspect the culprit behind the arson to be none other than his ex-husband.
John Williams, a beloved and respected business owner in the city’s downtown dining scene, was found dead in his home by firefighters responding to a neighbor’s 1 AM 911 call. Just hours later, police arrested Williams’ ex-husband Craig Crawford on suspicion of aggravated murder and aggravated arson in connection to the former’s death.
Williams (pictured above), 72, reportedly filed for divorce from Crawford, 47, earlier this month and repeatedly sought to obtain restraining orders against him. Police denied his requests, however, and Crawford remained in Williams’ residence.
Witnesses claim to have seen Crawford walking toward the house as it became engulfed in flames this past weekend, noting that Crawford (pictured below) did not call authorities to report the fire. When fire firefighters finally did arrive, they found Williams in an upstairs bedroom. Attempts to resuscitate the victim failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Williams is remembered fondly by members of the Salt Lake City community. His company, Gastronomy Inc., saw the launch of a bevy of popular and trendy restaurants in the city, which many thank for establishing the capital’s fine dining scene.
Openly gay state Sen. Jim Dabakis praises the gay restaurateur for helping to extend tolerance and acceptance between the city’s LGBT and business communities.
“The restaurants he and his partners opened raised the standards of dining for Utah, and the quiet bridges John built between the emerging LGBT community and the Utah business world made this a better place for all of us to live,” Dabakis said in a statement to KUTV.
Authorities have Crawford in custody and have no other suspects in the case.
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