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Alta View Hospital hostage incident

SOLVED1991Alta View Hospital, Sandy, Utah3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On September 20, 1991, Richard Worthington arrived at Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah, armed with a shotgun, a .357 Magnum revolver, and sticks of dynamite. He intended to kill Dr. Glade Curtis, the physician who had performed a tubal ligation requested by Worthington's wife, Karen Worthington. Worthington entered the hospital's Women's Center and took several people hostage, including two nurses, a patient who was giving birth, her sister, the father of the newborn, and two infants.

Dr. Curtis witnessed the situation unfolding and hid in his office, where he called police. Worthington subsequently moved two of the nurses, Susan Woolley and Karla Roth, out to the hospital parking lot. When police ordered Worthington to freeze, Roth attempted to wrestle the shotgun from his hands. She was fatally shot in the struggle.

The standoff continued for a total of eighteen hours. Worthington was ultimately persuaded to surrender and release the remaining hostages through negotiations led by Sergeant Don Bell and Detective Jill Candland of the Salt Lake City police department.

Worthington was subsequently sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for the murder of Karla Roth. He died by suicide in his prison cell on November 11, 1993.

The incident later became the subject of a 1992 television film, "Deliver Them From Evil: The Taking of Alta View," which starred Harry Hamlin as Worthington, Teri Garr as Woolley, and Terry O'Quinn as Bell.

In a separate, later incident connected to the Worthington family, a hostage situation occurred in Herriman, Utah, in November 2022. A suicidal man engaged in an hours-long standoff with a SWAT team before opening fire on officers attempting to evacuate neighbors; SWAT then shot and killed him. He was subsequently identified as Alma Worthington, a Utah National Guard veteran, and was later confirmed to be Richard Worthington's son. This later incident did not involve any criminal charges against Alma Worthington, who died at the scene, and is noted here only as a documented family connection to the 1991 case.

Key facts

Victims
Karla Roth
Date
1991
Location
Alta View Hospital, Sandy, Utah
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1991-09-20

    Richard Worthington enters Alta View Hospital's Women's Center armed with a shotgun, revolver, and dynamite, taking multiple hostages in an attempt to kill Dr. Glade Curtis.

  2. 1991-09-20

    Nurse Karla Roth is fatally shot after attempting to wrestle Worthington's shotgun from him in the hospital parking lot.

  3. 1991-09-21

    After an eighteen-hour standoff, Worthington surrenders and releases the remaining hostages following negotiations with Sergeant Don Bell and Detective Jill Candland.

  4. 1993-11-11

    Richard Worthington dies by suicide in his prison cell.

  5. 2022-11

    A hostage standoff occurs in Herriman, Utah, ending when SWAT shoot and kill the man involved, later identified as Alma Worthington, Richard Worthington's son.

Best coverage

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People

  • Don Bell

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Sergeant with the Salt Lake City police department who helped negotiate Worthington's surrender.

  • Jill Candland

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Detective with the Salt Lake City police department who helped negotiate Worthington's surrender.

  • Karla Roth

    VICTIM

    Nurse fatally shot by Richard Worthington after attempting to disarm him during the hostage standoff.

  • Richard Worthington

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for the murder of Karla Roth; died by suicide in prison on November 11, 1993.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Alta View Hospital, Sandy, Utah

40.5778, -111.8539

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On September 20, 1991, Richard Worthington took hostages at gunpoint in the Women's Center of Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah, in an attempt to kill the doctor who had performed his wife's tubal ligation. During an eighteen-hour standoff, nurse Karla Roth was fatally shot after trying to disarm him; Worthington later surrendered and was convicted of her murder.
Where did the crime happen?
Alta View Hospital, Sandy, Utah.
Who was convicted?
Richard Worthington (Sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for the murder of Karla Roth; died by suicide in prison on November 11, 1993.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Utah

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICAlta View Hospital hostage incidentWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The Washington PostThe Washington Post · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026