Arthur Bishop (1952 – 1988) was a Mormon boy scout leader in Utah; was excommunicated in the 1970s; later molested multiple children and killed five young boys; was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1988.

This case arose in 1978 in Utah.

Art Bishop molested many children and killed five boys.

He grew up LDS and served an LDS mission to the Philippines.

He was excommunicated from the Mormon church in the 1970s.

On his last day alive in Utah State Prison, Bishop read from the Book of Mormon prior to being executed by lethal injection.

FLOODLIT.org is not aware of any instances of sexual abuse allegedly committed by Bishop before he left the LDS church; however, we believe his inclusion in our database is justified because of the possibility that he molested or harmed other victims who may not have been able or willing to come forward, and because we feel that the high-profile public nature of his case and the extensive public documentation surrounding it provide fertile ground for research in this topic.

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Sources

  1. Slayer of Five Boys Is Executed in Utah By Injection of Drugs, New York Times, October 19, 2025.
  2. The Justice Files: The devil in Salt Lake City, Five boys Pt. 5 - ABC4 - 2021-05-07, , October 19, 2025.

Documents

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Criminal case documents

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Civil case documents

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Timeline

  • 1952
    Born

Videos

    • Video title: Arthur Gary Bishop: Child Molester and Serial Killer Documentary
    • Video description: The Killer Next Door
    • Video title: Arthur Gary Bishop
    • Video description: In advance of a Discovery Channel documentary KUTV's Chris Jones takes a look at the crimes which, thirty years ago, held Salt Lake City in the grip of fear.

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Other Mormon sex abuse cases

    • Keith Price (1956 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Pleasant Grove, Utah; convicted in 2018 of class A misdemeanor voyeurism; secretly recorded underage girls; the crime occurred while he was serving as bishop
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    • Clark Crookston (1949 – ) was a former Mormon bishop, dentist and college professor in Orem, Utah; accused of nearly 60 years of sex abuse of multiple children; pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2022 to up to 35 years in prison
    • View report »
      • "I assumed I was alone. I felt guilty even to question his worthiness. [...] I buried the hurt and kept it secret for over 30 years. [...] The children who came forward are my heroes. These are the brave souls [who] broke the curse that has been happening for nearly 60 years."
      — Jane Doe, abuse survivor
    • Ronald Phelps was an LDS bishop and stake executive secretary, and attorney, in Oklahoma; arrested for indecent exposure before becoming an LDS bishop; accused of child sexual abuse; Mormon church leaders allegedly covered up the abuse
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