Man escapes torture in Utah motel room, runs naked to highway for help, officials say

A man was found guilty in the 2020 kidnapping, robbery and torture of a man in Utah, officials said.

In April 2020, Ernest Bright and three others robbed and tortured a man for 82 minutes at the All-Star Motel in Salt Lake City, according to a Feb. 5 news release from the district attorney.

The group stole the man’s money and clothes before duct-taping his feet together, officials said.

They hit, kicked and tasered the man, the district attorney said. They also are accused of shaving his head and burning his skin.

After the motel got noise complaints about the room during the torture, staff went to the room, officials said.

That’s when the man was able to escape, running naked with “duct tape around his neck,” officials said.

He ran to a nearby highway for help and a Utah High Patrol trooper found him on the road’s shoulder, officials said.

In 2020, the tortured man didn’t provide police with the identity of the group but told officers “they will find me,” according to charging documents obtained by Deseret News.

The trooper called medical personnel, officials said. The district attorney did not specify man’s condition in 2020.

During their search, officers found a hatchet, sword, blood, hair and a micro-torch, officials said.

The other three with a connection to this case have already been sentenced, the district attorney said.

Bright is scheduled to appear in court in April for his sentencing, the release said.

This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Man escapes torture in Utah motel room, runs naked to highway for help, officials say."