A Salt Lake County man accused of shooting and wounding his estranged wife and her friend last year appears headed toward a resolution of his criminal charges.
Valentin Dulla Santarromana, 38, is charged in 3rd District Court with 31 felonies in connection with the Aug. 22 shooting episode at his Millcreek area home that injured his estranged wife, 42-year-old Jennifer Andrus, and her friend, Jai Hogue, also 42.
Earlier this month, Santarromana waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Judge Royal Hansen set an arraignment/disposition/sentencing hearing for Wednesday, according to the court docket.
Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Blake Hills said Thursday it was anticipated that Santarromana would enter pleas and be sentenced that day. Hills declined to say what the plea deal entailed.
On Aug. 22, 2015, Andrus, went to her former residence with Hogue to care for her dogs.
Andrus — who had filed for a protective order against her husband on Aug. 17 — entered the home, while Hogue waited outside.
Shortly after Andrus went into the home, she was allegedly confronted by Santarromana, who was armed with a gun and a meat cleaver. The husband is accused of hitting Andrus with the gun and the meat cleaver before she ran to the front door to alert her friend to call police.
At that time, Santarromana allegedly shot at Hogue 15 times, striking her in the chest, ear, shoulder, midsection, pelvis, forearm, hand, groin, knee and calf.
During an ensuing standoff with Unified Police, Santarromana allegedly held his wife hostage in the basement laundry room and allegedly fired at officers who were attempting to bring him a phone to continue negotiations. No police officers were injured, though charging documents say bullets struck one medic's protective equipment.
Before surrendering to police, Santarromana allegedly shot his wife several times before officers entered the home and removed Andrus. She was hit by gunfire five times: in the right side of the head — which resulted in the loss of her eye — in the arm, twice in the leg and in the ankle.
A search warrant affidavit states that in the early hours of Aug. 22, Andrus' brother had received text from Santarromana's phone, apparently intended for Santarromana's children, that reads, "It hurt me to see your mom with someone else."
"I can't bear to have this family apart," the text reads. "... My love for your mom is so strong and true that I can't bear to see your mom with anyone else!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Santarromana is charged with two counts of attempted aggravated murder, and one count each of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault — all first-degree felonies. He is also charged with 12 first-degree felony counts of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, three counts of second-degree felony assault against a police officer, four counts of third-degree felony aggravated assault and eight counts of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm.
Santarromana is also charged with an earlier domestic violence episode, in which he allegedly threatened his wife with a machete. In that case, he is charged with aggravated assault and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, all third-degree felonies.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Unified Police and SWAT officers responded to a scene where a suspect had heavily barricaded himself in a home after shooting a woman who had come to try to calm down a domestic dispute near 3300s and 700e, Saturday, August 22, 2015.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Early in the standoff, Unified Police SWAT officers get a view of the house off camera to the right where a suspect was heavily barricaded after a domestic dispute that turned into a standoff near 3300s and 700e, Saturday, August 22, 2015. The suspect had fired at officers, and turned on the gas in the house.
Valentin Santarromana. Courtesy photo
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible