MIDVALE, Utah, Jan. 31, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Court documents reveal additional information in the stabbing murder of Yuping Jian, a massage therapist found deceased on Jan. 4 at A+ Massage in Midvale, where she was employed.
Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, is being investigated for one count of first-degree murder in the case. He is a resident of Redondo Beach, California.
Court documents say Unified Police officers were called to the scene, and found Jian, 45, deceased in a pool of blood, with multiple lacerations and stab wounds, and a few small areas of missing skin. The Medical Examiner’s Office later determined the number of wounds to be about 56.
Evidence was collected at the scene. DNA from a lone male was collected and determined, through use of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, to be that of Brinkerhoff.
Detectives also reviewed video surveillance from a business near A+ Massage, and observed a male in a wheelchair arriving at the parlor on the day of the murder. He arrived at 12:30 a.m. and left the scene at 2:25 p.m.
“The footage shows the male only has one leg,” Brinkerhoff’s affidavit says. That description was consistent with Brinkerhoff’s appearance.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said at a Tuesday news conference that investigators had found text communications between Brinkerhoff and Jian.
Utah officials have filed a no-bail arrest warrant for Brinkerhoff, who remains in California.
“The defendant does not have any family in Utah, but has family in Oregon, Colorado, and California,” his affidavit says. “The defendant has an extensive criminal history in California to include possession of a dangerous weapon, assault on a peace officer, fighting in public, drugs, possession of stolen property, and violation of court order to prevent domestic violence. The defendant was recently arrested on Jan. 19, 2024, in California outside of a massage parlor.”
Gephardt Daily will have more information as the case develops.
