MAGNA, Utah (ABC4) – Two people are in custody after police say a man was beaten to death in Magna.
According to Unified Police, a 41-year-old man was beaten to death by a group of people Monday afternoon in the area of 3600 S 8400 W. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Court documents obtained by ABC4 indicate 19-year-old Osyenna Martinez and 18-year-old Xandre Hill have been taken into custody on one count each of murder in connection with the incident.
According to the probable cause statement, Unified Police were notified that six people were beating up a man in Magna. When crews arrived on scene, the man was found unconscious and not breathing.
Several people were taken into custody and questioned.
Martinez allegedly told investigators she and Hill went to a home in Magna to buy a puppy. The pair say they were told by a woman at the home that the man had abused a different woman, reportedly pregnant with his child.
Martinez, Hill, and others on the scene allegedly saw the man traveling by and followed him to a nearby parking lot.
According to the probable cause statement, one suspect told investigators that Martinez struck the victim with a car. When the man began running from the scene, witnesses report Martinez, Hill, and another unidentified individual chased him. When the suspects caught up to the man, they allegedly began beating, punching, and kicking him.
Much of the incident was caught on nearby surveillance footage, according to authorities. The probable cause outlines what investigators were able to see, including Martinez throwing boards at the victim as he is running away. Martinez, Hill, and another unidentified individual can also be seen assaulting the victim, detectives add.
Investigators say Martinez admitted to chasing the man and throwing wood at him, but denied hitting him with a vehicle.
Another individual involved, the reported daughter of the pregnant woman, told detectives that the victim is her stepdad. She adds that they did not report the abuse because the victim “is on parole and his probation officer will not do anything to lock him up.”
The names of other individuals involved have not been released at this time. Martinez and Hill have been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, each on one count of murder.