MILLCREEK, Utah, Dec. 12, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A man has been found murdered in his Millcreek apartment, and Unified Police Department officials are hoping the public can share tips that will help lead them to the killer.
Alla Alkhatawi, age 46, was found murdered early Friday evening, according to information released Monday morning by the UPD.
At 7:11 p.m. Friday, Millcreek officers were called to the scene, at 3365 S. 900 East, on an unknown problem. During an exterior search of the building, officers could see evidence of blood inside the home, UPD Lt. Brian Lohrke told Gephardt Daily.
“Fearing the worst, of course, officers forced their way in the front door and found a male deceased,” Lohrke said. “Detectives weren’t sure at first if they had a homicide at the time, or if it was something self-inflicted, but based upon the the investigation that did go on through the weekend, they did determine it was a homicide that occurred.”
Lohrke said officers at the scene estimated that Alkhatawi had been dead 12 to 24 hours when his body was found, but a medical examiner will determine a more precise timeline.
Lohrke said information on the type of weapon used has not yet been released because the investigation is ongoing.
“They don’t have a suspect yet, so they’re waiting to get some more information so that when they do interviews, they look for different clues, different things that people say that would clue them in on information that’s not out there yet.”
Lohrke said Alkhatawi’s family has not been notified of his death because members reside in Iraq, and have not yet been located. The victim’s name was released anyway in hopes that his associates and neighbors might provide clues while their memories are fresh.
Alkhatawi’s neighbors remembered him as someone who greeted them outside when he came or went. Several neighbors said he seemed to have a lot of people coming and going from his apartment.
Lohrke said evidence suggests there is no immediate threat to public safety.
“This was something either between one person or multiple persons and the victim,” he said.
Investigators have put in a long weekend, but began with a disadvantage since the crime scene was not fresh, Lohrke said.
“A lot of these detectives, they put so much of their time and effort, personal anguish, frustration, into this, it’s almost like they need closure at some point, so you’ll see a lot of detectives, their cases have turned to cold cases, we’ve had a lot of instances where they’ve been able to come back around … and close the case. I don’t want to say it gets personal with the detectives, but in some ways it does.”
UPD detectives are asking anyone who knew Alkhatawi or who may have information regarding his death to call officials at 801-743-7000.
