This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Following the results of an autopsy, Provo police are closing the case on an apparent suicide pact that La Caille restaurant part-owners Steve and Lisa Runolfson carried out in a hotel room on Christmas Eve last year.
After detectives complete the final paperwork, the case will be closed as a homicide-suicide, in which Lisa Runolfson was thought to be a voluntary participant, said Provo police captain Jerry Harper on Tuesday. "We'll never know for sure what was in their minds," he said.
According to the medical examination and police reports, Provo Marriott Hotel employees found the couple in a blood-spattered room on Christmas Day when they entered to verify if the couple had checked out.
When police arrived to investigate, they sought an animal control officer to remove the Runolfson's dog, which was protecting the bodies on the bed.
Lisa Runolfson, 57, was sitting up with a gaping chest wound from two gunshots, while Steve Runolfson, 56, was sprawled across the bed.
Police found a .44 magnum Ruger revolver on the floor. Guests in a nearby room said they had heard banging sounds on Christmas Eve that police believe were gunshots.
Calls placed to the Runolfson family and the family's lawyer weren't immediately returned to The Tribune.
Steven Runolfson had called his daughter, Mary Runolfson, early Christmas Eve to tell her "they wouldn't be coming home and not to have a service," according to the autopsy report. The daughter immediately called Salt Lake County Unified Police Department and reported her parents missing.
According to police reports, Mary Runolfson told officers that her parents "had just recently lost a civil suit where the damages were in the amount of $4.7 million, which would result in the loss of their business and property" and had met with a bankruptcy attorney on Dec. 23. She also said they had "drained their bank account of all funds, and they had left savings bonds with her."
In the hotel room, police found a one-ounce silver coin, jewelry and several hundred dollars in cash, including a $356 tip for the maid. In addition, they found $5,600 cash in a deposit bag in the Runolfson's SUV, found parked in the hotel garage.
In March 2010, Mark Haug, a former partner at La Caille, won a $4.7 million court award after a five-year contract dispute with Runolfson and partner David Johnson. A 3rd District Court jury found that Runolfson and Johnson had breached their partnership with Haug and unlawfully took control of his share of La Caille.
The Runolfson family has appealed the jury decision.
After the suicide, Haug's lawyer Jim Magleby told The Tribune that his client was distraught. "[The Runolfson's and Johnson] basically were his family," Magleby said. "We tried to settle this case for years and he would have taken a lot less than he was [ultimately] awarded. ... This was a contentious lawsuit, but as far as I know it wasn't going to bankrupt them."
Family members said the court award caused the couple to fear they would lose not only their business, but also "their life's work" in the iconic La Caille restaurant.
The La Caille restaurant property in Sandy at 9565 Wasatch Blvd. is for sale. At least one local buyer has acknowledged negotiating with the heirs for a possible purchase and development of the prime property located at the foot of Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.
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