SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — After nearly serving two years of time in prison for burglary, Dail (Dale) Stewart, 65, was involved in an incident that gave him additional time for a murder he didn’t commit.
Now, 33 years later, Stewart reflects on his experience and how it still impacts his life.
Prison Incident: ‘Next thing you know, I’m being charged for the murder’
According to Stewart, he was in his dorm on June 13, 1984, when he heard a commotion next to his dorm and decided to check it out. Accusations were tossed around about stolen property and as Stewart turned to leave, he was hit hard enough it cut his lip open.
Throughout the day he found himself involved in arguments and fights about the stolen items. He finally went to address the situation to convince others that he was not the thief. “You have to do that in prison,” Stewart said. “You don’t let somebody come and get you. You have to try to get in and talk to him or whatever to stop it.”
A group ended up meeting in a bathroom in the prison to confront the issue when suddenly a fight broke out, and a man got stabbed with a screwdriver.
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Leaving the situation wasn’t enough for Stewart. His involvement landed him in maximum security. “Next thing you know, I’m being charged for the murder,” he said.
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Stewart ended up serving two years for his burglary charges and then eight years for the murder, totaling ten years of prison time in Salt Lake City. He talked about how challenging it was being innocent of a violent crime while staying in the same place as infamous criminals like Ronnie Gardner…