MURRAY, Utah, Sept. 18, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Charges have been filed against a Murray man accused of hitting his wife with his vehicle and running over his mother-in-law during a drunken fight earlier this month.
Erwin Jay Riggs, 37, was arrested Sept. 9 and charged last week after police say he vandalized his wife’s vehicle, hit her with his car and then ran over and critically injured his mother-in-law when she intervened.
Riggs also threatened officers during his arrest and told them he planned to return to “finish the job,” according to Murray City police.
The mother-in-law sustained life-threatening injuries during the altercation and was taken to Intermountain Medical Center.
The woman suffered a fractured skull with blood clots beneath the skull, a fractured vertebrae in her neck, and injuries to three fingers that nearly required amputation, according to charges filed Friday in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court.
Riggs’ wife suffered a fracture in her spine from being hit by the car, charges say.
Police say Riggs was intoxicated during an argument with his wife that started Sept. 8 and “boiled over” the next day.
“During the argument, [Riggs] went outside and began letting air out of the tires on the truck that [his wife] drives. [The woman] said she told [Riggs] to stop and presented him with the keys to their other vehicle, a Dodge Avenger. [She] said [Riggs] punched the rear driver side tail light of the truck, causing it to break,” charges say.
Riggs then went into the apartment, grabbed a kitchen knife and returned outside, charging documents say. He then got into the Avenger, started the car and began reversing with the door open, according to the charges.
“[Riggs’ wife] said that while the vehicle was in reverse, the car door pinned her chest against another vehicle, which was parked and unoccupied. [She] said that she felt pain on her chest and she yelled at [Riggs] to stop,” charges say.
Riggs’ mother-in-law and his 16-year-old son were outside during the argument, yelling at him to stop, charges say. The mother-in-law “reached out to help pull [her daughter] away from the car as [Riggs] was slamming the door shut, which caused [her] hand to be slammed in the car door,” according to charging documents.
“While [the mother-in-law’s] hand was stuck, [Riggs] put the vehicle in reverse and backed out of the parking stall. … [This] act dragged [the woman] by the hand as the vehicle was in motion. [Riggs’ wife] said she was actively yelling at [him] to stop the car and tried opening the car door from the outside multiple times, but the door was locked,” charges say.
With his mother-in-law’s hand still caught in the door, Riggs put the car into drive and began dragging her an estimated 10-15 feet, court documents say. The woman’s hand ultimately “slipped out” of the door and she “fell to the ground and rolled,” charges say.
Police say Riggs ran over his mother-in-law’s head with the rear driver’s side tire as he drove away.
Officers arrived and found the woman “laying in the street with severe head injuries,” court documents say.
Detectives later tracked Riggs’ vehicle using a dealership-applied device and located him, police said.
“He smelled of alcohol and was belligerent with officers,” arrest documents say.
“When [Riggs] was being taken into custody, he told detectives that he was going to return to the address and ‘finish the job.’ [He] also told detectives that ‘next time this happens, you ain’t gonna find me.'”
Riggs is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail system for investigation of:
- Three counts of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony
- Domestic violence in the presence of a child, a second-degree felony
- Failure to remain at an accident involving serious injury, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of property damage/destruction valued at less than $500, a class B misdemeanor
Riggs had two active warrants for his arrest for failing to appear at court hearings when he was taken into police custody, according to charging documents. Both cases are related to domestic violence matters, police said.
Riggs also has previous domestic violence convictions in New Mexico and Arizona, according to court documents.
