This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A West Valley City man is accused in the death of his girlfriend, whose body was found at the bottom of his home's steps several hours after the couple had argued.
Juan Salvador Velasquez-Trujillo, 52, of West Valley City, was charged in 3rd District Court on Wednesday with second-degree felony manslaughter in the death last month of Haydee Suriano.
Velasquez-Trujillo, also known as Juan or Salvador Velasquez, remained in the Cache County jail on Thursday in lieu of $500,000 cash bail.
An initial court appearance was set for Tuesday.
West Valley City police were called to 6961 W. Hunter Pine Circle (3290 South) early the afternoon of Dec. 18, 2016, finding Suriano's body at the bottom of a staircase. Evidence at the scene — including dried blood on her face — indicated she had been dead for several hours, according to charging documents.
A witness living at the home told investigators that on the evening of Dec.17, Velasquez-Trujillo had begun arguing with Suriano, who had traveled from San Francisco to spend time with Velasquez-Trujillo. Suriano asked to be taken to a hotel, but Velasquez-Trujillo allegedly refused.
About 10 p.m. on Dec. 17, another resident reported, there was a loud bang, "sounding like something being hit with a large piece of wood or someone throwing a brick on the ground."
That was followed by the sound of someone vomiting or struggling to breathe, according to charges.
Under questioning, Velasquez-Trujillo acknowledged that Suriano had come to Utah to stay with him for a few weeks. He said they argued shortly "over something on [his] cell phone," after which Suriano packed her belongings and left their bedroom.
Velasquez-Trujillo claimed that was the last time he saw her.
Investigators later found that Suriano had posted to her Facebook account shortly after the argument that she was breaking up with Velasquez-Trujillo.
Prosecutors note that an autopsy determined Suriano had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, though the precise cause of her injuries — which included a skull fracture — remained undetermined.
Twitter: @remims