SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – A Salt Lake City woman is facing a first-degree murder charge after she was arrested in connection to the “suspicious death” of a man that ruled as a homicide on April 12.

Police were notified overnight on Tuesday of a body in the area of 400 West and 900 South in an abandoned business. The body, identified as Jonathan Devereaux, 41, was found at the entrance of the building with “critical wounds to his body.”

According to the booking affidavit, Devereaux was a homeless man and had been camping inside the building.

A witness allegedly told police they saw the suspect, identified as Alta Tresa Mardell, 24, enter the building through the front door before leaving a short time later. According to a witness report, Mardell said she had been assaulted by Devereaux and that she was going back into the building to “handle business” and that she was “going to go merk this fool.”

Witnesses reported Mardell re-entered the building with a knife. When Mardell reportedly exited the building again, she allegedly told a witness she had stabbed Devereaux with the knife and that she needed to leave.

Police report taking Mardell into custody at a Salt Lake residence where they allegedly found a knife and pants with blood stains.

Mardell has a history of violent behavior, including being convicted of felony aggravated assault in 2020 and misdemeanor assault in 2021. Police say Mardell also allegedly cut a woman’s face with a knife because the woman “snitched.”

According to Salt Lake City Police, this is the fifth homicide in Salt Lake City for 2023.