UT - David Stokoe, 40, shot dead during confrontation with tenants, Salt Lake City, 17 Jan 2019

[cybervampira]

Salt Lake landlord shot to death by tenant during tussle over eviction, police say

Police arrested three people connected to the murder of David Stokoe. They believed Manuel Velasquez, a 31-year-old with a criminal record, fired the shot that killed Stokoe. Velasquez was reported to have told officers Stokoe had him in a "serious choke hold" when he pulled the gun and killed him.

Police also arrested 30-year-old Diana Hernandez, and 38-year-old Jessica Miller, whom they believe helped Velasquez clean up the scene and hide the body.

Stokoe's body never left the suspect's apartment, but was so well concealed investigators missed it during their initial sweep of the residence.

The probable cause affidavit about Velasquez said he and Miller rented an apartment near Liberty Park from Stokoe, who showed up Thursday to enforce an eviction order.

Detectives pulled 24-hour shifts to get caught up on the case, which began as a missing-person report out of South Jordan. Stokoe lived there with his wife and four children. Police said he was a completely innocent victim.

"This is a puzzle that's taken a long time to put together, and we're not finished with it yet," said Detective Greg Wilking, adding police think the three suspects had ties to the "drug world."

Velasquez will be booked on suspicion of homicide and the two women will be booked on suspicion of obstructing justice, police said.

Police: South Jordan man shot during confrontation with tenants; suspect says he was being held in 'serious choke hold' when he fired pistol | Gephardt Daily

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=336015077004253

 

[cybervampira]

Three people arrested after real estate agent is found murdered and stuffed in apartment crawl space | Daily Mail Online

The body of a Utah real estate agent was found stuffed in a crawl space of an apartment which he'd gone to while trying to collect rent from its tenants.

Real estate agent David Stokoe, 40, of South Jordan, Utah, was initially reported missing by his wife, Nikki, on Thursday, when he didn't return home from work that day.

According to court documents obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune, Stokoe had gone missing after traveling to an apartment in nearby Salt Lake City to collect rent from Manuel Velasquez, 31, and Jessica Miller, 38.

After searching the city for Stokoe, a married father of four, police said that they learned late Friday night that Stokoe never left the apartment he'd gone to.

They then found his body in a crawl space in the apartment. He was said to have been shot.

Authorities then started searching for Stokoe's missing Cadillac Escalade, as well as for Velasquez and Miller, who were not at their apartment.

The Salt Lake City SWAT Team eventually located Velasquez and Miller, as well as their friend, Diana Hernandez, 30, outside another Salt Lake City apartment on Saturday at about 6am.

The three were taken into custody after a stand off.

[...]

 

[cybervampira]

3 arrested after landlord's body found in secret room in Salt Lake City

[...]

In an interview with ABC affiliate station KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City, Neil Stokoe described his brother David as his "hero."

"I idolized Dave, everything he did," said Neil Stokoe, adding that he and his brother are among six children in their family. "He was a very charismatic individual and just loved people. Dave was a warrior. Dave was a leader."

He said their older brother, Steve Stokoe, killed himself when he and David Stokoe were young and that David took the initiative to turn the tragedy into something positive to help others coping with depression.

"I look at how he handled that trial and challenge," Neil Stokoe said of David. "He was really, really tight with Steve and for him, he worked through it and then turned it into something to where he would go out to high schools and talk about suicide prevention and tell his story."

[...]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A woman arrested in connection with the shooting death of a Utah real estate agent has been charged.

KUTV in Salt Lake City reports that an indictment filed Monday shows Jessica Miller is facing charges of obstruction of justice, identity fraud, forgery and abuse or desecration of a human body.
Woman charged in South Jordan real estate agent's death

 

[danzn16]

This is awful. We have a rental property and despite your best efforts to vet a tenant, it is more often than not they are essentially terrible human beings. How awful this happened to a young man.

 

[gitana1]

This is awful. We have a rental property and despite your best efforts to vet a tenant, it is more often than not they are essentially terrible human beings. How awful this happened to a young man.

That's scary. Do you usually go by yourself to evict people? Why not bring the sheriff or police?

I wonder which one of these winners is on the actual lease? I think the big problem is that tenants may bring in other people you don't have a chance to vet. But a $30.00 background check is probably worth it.

I've rented out a room for years. Out of the three strangers who rented from me two were great and one was terrible. She was filthy and clearly prostituting herself as an escort.

And I did a background check!!

The other two became great friends and I'm going to the baptism this weekend of one of their kids. First born.

But mostly I rent out to people I actually know because it's so precarious and it's in my actual house.

 

[danzn16]

That's scary. Do you usually go by yourself to evict people? Why not bring the sheriff or police?

I wonder which one of these winners is on the actual lease? I think the big problem is that tenants may bring in other people you don't have a chance to vet. But a $30.00 background check is probably worth it.

I've rented out a room for years. Out of the three strangers who rented from me two were great and one was terrible. She was filthy and clearly prostituting herself as an escort.

And I did a background check!!

The other two became great friends and I'm going to the baptism this weekend of one of their kids. First born.

But mostly I rent out to people I actually know because it's so precarious and it's in my actual house.

Luckily we have not had to evict anyone but Im sure our current renters we will have to. Weeks worth of trash piled up OUTSIDE the home, never maintain lawns, now have 2 colonies of cats outside, and they are always late on rent with a million and one excuses. Trying to let the lease run out and do a nonrenewal but they are getting worse by the month. Either way I'm certain we'll have to evict. When we will do it will be through the court and the sheriffs department. These people came with good referrals, background check etc. Still awful. I always have in the back of my mind that we're not safe going over there and this article hits home. I would also like to know if this guy was even supposed to be at the home.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A woman has been charged in connection to the shooting death of a real estate agent who was trying to evict tenants from a building.

Mugshot

Jessica Louise Miller, who sometimes goes under the name Jessica Reese, has been charged with obstruction of justice, identity fraud, forgery and abuse or desecration of a human body in relation to the January death of David Stokoe.

A real estate agent from Utah’s South Jordan, Stokoe was fatally shot on Jan. 18 while attempting to evict tenants, including Miller, from an apartment he managed. According to reports at the time, Stokoe came to tell Manuel Velasquez, 31, and Miller, 38, that they would soon have to leave the apartment due to unpaid rent when Velasquez allegedly grabbed a handgun and shot him dead. An autopsy revealed that Stokoe had been shot four times.

Afterward, Velasquez, Miller and their friend, Diana Hernandez, 30, reportedly moved the body using a skateboard and hid it in a crawl space within one of the apartment’s closets. An investigation determined that Miller tried to wash away the blood from the crime scene and cut out bloody areas of carpet.

The death of the real estate agent and father of four children sent waves of shock and sadness throughout the real estate community. A started for Stokoe’s widow and their four children raised more than $100,000.

Woman charged in connection to murder of agent