LGBT pioneer, 72, found dead - Ex husband, 47, arrested
Restaurateur and LGBT pioneer, 72, found dead inside burning home and his estranged husband, 47, is arrested on charges of murder
Craig Crawford, 47, is charged with aggravated homicide and aggravated arson
Aggravated murder charge carries the possibility of death penalty in Utah
Investigators ruled the death suspicious after they found the body of John Williams
He was a well-known restaurateur behind popular Utah eateries including Market Street Grill
Killed in a fire: John Williams, 72, has been described as a restaurant legend, LGBT pioneer and all-round good person
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A Salt Lake City restaurateur and LGBT rights pioneer died in a house fire early on Sunday morning and police now believe his ex-husband set the blaze.
John Williams, 72, was found dead in his Capitol Hill home by firefighters who responded to a 911 call from neighbors shortly after 1 a.m.
Police later arrested 47-year-old Craig Crawford on suspicion of aggravated murder and aggravated arson in connection with Williams' death.
Detectives say Crawford was in the house near the Utah State Capitol when the fire started.
Williams, who played a major role in establishing the city's downtown dining scene, filed for a divorce on May 4.
He had even attempted to take out restraining orders against his former partner, but was denied, according to court records.
Despite the broken relationship, Crawford still lived with Williams and was seen walking toward the house as it became engulfed in flames. Despite knowing the house was on fire, Crawford did not call 911.
Williams could be heard screaming from the top floors of the home but could not be revived by the time the emergency services reached him.
Arrested: 47-year-old Craig Crawford has been brought into custody on suspicion of aggravated murder and aggravated arson in connection with the blaze
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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.
Williams, whose parents were educators in Idaho, came to Utah to go to college 50 years ago and 'changed the fabric' of the community, Dabakis wrote in a statement. The buildings he restored in Salt Lake City and the restaurants he ran raised standards in the city.'
Made his mark: Williams is responsible for saving and renovating a number of buildings in Salt Lake City including this one which became the famed Market Street Grill
RIP.
