SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Salt Lake City man pleaded guilty to the 2020 murder of his girlfriend on Tuesday, May 9.

Micheal Tyson Nance, 34, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday at the Third District Court after he was accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, Natalie Thurber, 34, in February 2020. Nance is convicted of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm, all first-degree felonies. His two other charges of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault have been dismissed.

“Our office continues to mourn the death of Natalie Thurber and send our condolences to her family. We hope that this guilty plea will help Ms. Thurber’s loved ones arrive at some level of closure and feel that justice has been served,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. 

On Feb. 10, 2020, Thurber reportedly called 911 and left the line open, so Salt Lake City dispatch was able to hear Thurber arguing with Nance. According to charging documents, Thurber could be heard saying that Nance is not letting her leave and that he tried to strangle and kill her. She reportedly went on to say she could not leave the residence because Nance was standing in front of the door and threatening her with a knife.

A Salt Lake City police officer arrived at their apartment near 200 South 300 East and heard gurgling sounds as well as a man shouting, charging documents stated. The officer reportedly kicked in the bathroom window and saw Nance strangling Thurber. When Nance saw the officer, he let go of Thurber and went out of the bathroom.

Charging documents state that Nance returned a few seconds later with a handgun. Body cam footage reportedly caught Nance pointing the gun at Thurber’s head and firing a shot. The Utah Office of Medical Examiner ruled Thurber’s death a homicide, saying that she died from a gunshot wound to the neck.

After killing Thurber, Nance reportedly fired multiple shots toward the window where a few police officers were standing. One of the officers was struck in the leg by a bullet. Police returned fire, and Nance could be heard screaming. He then abandoned his handgun and fled the residence through a back door.

Police reportedly later found Nance bleeding heavily from his face near 500 East 200 South. Nance suffered a gunshot wound to his face and was transported to the hospital for treatment before being taken into custody.

“Domestic violence is a problem that takes a community to solve,” Gill said. “If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic violence, please reach out to your local law enforcement so they can intervene and help stop it from continuing. We would like to acknowledge the hard work of our lead prosecutors Josh Graves and Chris Alberico on this case, as well as their support staff. We also want to commend the efforts of the responding officers who risked their lives attempting to come to the aid of Ms. Thurber.”

If you or someone else needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).