Who is Edward Steven Deli & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background
Edward Steven Deli was born on December 29, 1968, in Utah. In 1990, he was 21 years old and serving time at a Salt Lake City halfway house following convictions for robbery and theft-related crimes. Like Von Lester Taylor, Deli violated the terms of his parole by leaving the halfway house in December 1990. The two men, both armed and looking to steal, headed into the remote mountains near Oakley, Utah.
Their plan was burglary, but what followed was a sequence of deadly decisions that would lead to the deaths of two women, the near-death of a third family member, and the abduction of two young girls. Deli’s level of direct involvement in the murders would become the central issue in his later trial.
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Involvement in the Tiede Cabin Murders
On December 22, 1990, Deli and Taylor broke into the Tiede family’s cabin. When Kaye Tiede, her mother Beth Potts, and daughter Linae arrived, they were ambushed. Taylor shot and killed both women, while Linae was taken hostage. Later, when Rolf Tiede and his younger daughter Tricia arrived, Rolf was shot and left for dead. The assailants set fire to the cabin and kidnapped the girls, forcing them to flee the scene on snowmobiles and later by car.
Investigators found footage on the family’s camcorder showing Taylor and Deli opening the Tiede family’s Christmas gifts after the murders. Both suspects were captured after a police chase and shootout.
Trial and Sentencing
Unlike Taylor, Deli pleaded not guilty and went to trial. Prosecutors argued that he was equally responsible for the crimes and should receive the death penalty. Ballistics experts testified that two guns were used and eyewitnesses saw Deli armed with a .44 Magnum. However, his defense insisted that Taylor was the only one who fired shots and that Deli should not face capital murder charges.
In May 1991, a Summit County jury found Deli guilty of second-degree murder, not aggravated murder. Eleven of the twelve jurors supported the harsher charge, but one juror held out, citing reasonable doubt about whether Deli had fired the fatal shots. The result spared Deli the death penalty but still held him accountable for his role in the crimes.
Deli was sentenced on June 3, 1991, to seven consecutive life terms, later ruled to be without the possibility of parole. In August 1991, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole formalized the decision, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life in prison.
Appeals and Current Status
Deli appealed his sentence in 1993, arguing that the consecutive life terms were excessive and hindered any possibility of rehabilitation. The Utah Supreme Court denied his appeal, upholding the original sentence. Since then, he has remained in prison with no further successful appeals.
As of 2025, Edward Steven Deli is incarcerated at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, serving life without parole. While he has maintained that he did not pull the trigger, his role in the events of December 22, 1990, and the overwhelming evidence of joint participation in the crimes ensured his conviction and permanent imprisonment. His case continues to be referenced in discussions about sentencing disparities and the death penalty in Utah.
More “Live to Tell: Three Days Before Christmas”
- “Live to Tell: Three Days Before Christmas”: 48 Hours Revisits Tiede Cabin Homicides December 20 2025
- Who is Von Lester Taylor & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background
- Who is Edward Steven Deli & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background
