SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Adam Antonio Spencer Durborow, the man who pleaded guilty to the 2010 murder of South Salt Lake bookstore owner Sherry Black, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole.
Black, 64, was found dead at B&W Billiards and Books on Nov. 30, 2010. Prosecutors revealed she had been stabbed nine times, and there was evidence found of a post-mortem sexual assault.
The case went cold for nearly a decade, when DNA testing ultimately revealed Orem resident Durborow as the suspect. He was charged and arrested on Oct. 26, 2020, and admitted guilt, according to his probable cause statement.
On Oct. 4, 2021, Durborow pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, a first-degree felony. The sentence handed down Wednesday by 3rd District Judge Randall Skanchy, called for Durborow, 30, to be transported to the Utah State Prison to serve the life sentence without a possibility of parole.
“This was not only a crime against a family, but also our community,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a released statement.
“Today a measure of justice was found. It is imperfect but the best our system can do,” said DA Sim Gill. “Our prayers are with the Black and Miller families. Justice would be that they never had to suffer the loss of a loved one to begin with.”
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera also released a statement.
“Unified Police Department and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office are thinking of the Black and Miller families today,” she wrote. “In collaboration with other agencies, our officers worked tirelessly to investigate this case and we are pleased to see a measure of justice be served in court this morning.”
To read more about Black, view her obituary.
