3 chilling details about Rex Tanner and June Flood's murders

Publish date: 2024-06-12

Two employees at John Pinder's Utah Ranch, Rex Tanner and June Flood, were brutally assaulted, shot dead, and their bodies blown up in October 1998. A subsequent investigation helped authorities locate multiple body parts at a remote ranch. The killer, with the assistance of others, made several attempts at getting rid of all the evidence but wasn't completely successful at it.

Three individuals, including their lion-owning employer Pinder, his live-in girlfriend Barbara DeHart, and the ranch hand Filomeno Ruiz, were charged with multiple counts in connection with the double homicide. While Ruiz pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the shooter to avoid the death penalty, DeHart was convicted on a single charge, and Pinder was convicted on eleven counts.

The investigation into the murders of Rex Tanner and June Flood continued for months as body parts kept surfacing. The case, which has been making headlines for years due to its grisly nature, will feature on ID's Murder in the Wicked West premiere episode on Monday, December 12, at 9 pm ET.

Three key facts to know about the double homicide case of Rex Tanner and June Flood

1) Rex Tanner and June Flood were no longer employed at Pinder's ranch

John Pinder employed Tanner and Flood at his ranch sporadically. At the time of the murders, both victims had stopped working there: Tanner after injuring his leg in a horse accident, and Flood after Pinder accused her of stealing documents from the ranch, which could have helped his ex-wife acquire the property during their on-going divorce.

On multiple occasions, Pinder expressed his hatred towards the couple, and he even accosted and threatened them in person, in connection with a series of disagreements.

2) Pinder used a baseball bat to attack the couple in the presence of his ranch hand

John Pinder and the ranch hand Filomeno Ruiz drove to June Flood's house the night of the killings, where they also found Rex Tanner. Pinder demanded that everyone "go somewhere to talk" after entering the house, but the two refused to go, and the argument swiftly escalated into violence. Pinder, who was carrying his baseball bat, first struck Flood in the face and then Tanner in the leg. He then grabbed Flood's gun and pointed it towards his victims.

Ruiz, who eventually testified against the alleged shooter, claimed that while Pinder was using the weapon, it appeared as though "he had the devil." The two injured victims were then carried to the pickup truck and driven to a nearby lake on the ranch, with Flood clamping her lips shut and Tanner stumbling.

3) John Pinder and his accomplices made multiple efforts to get rid of the bodies of June Flood and Rex Tanner

Pinder stopped the vehicle at the lake, shot Flood twice, and then shot Tanner multiple times. After the killings were over, the gunman started carrying the bodies to some nearby bushes to conceal them and asked Ruiz to assist. The two then briefly returned to the ranch after hiding their bodies in the bushes before starting a grisly process meant to wipe out all traces of the murders.

The bodies were then taken to the ranch, where they were blown up using explosives. Pinder, with the assistance of others, then bulldozed the area to get rid of any evidence left behind. Whatever was left behind was picked up in black garbage bags and stashed away at different locations on the ranch. They even tried to burn body parts and bury evidence that may have implicated them.

Tune in to Murder in the Wicked West on ID to learn more about the gruesome case.

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