KEARNS, Utah, March 17, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Kearns woman is facing a first-degree felony murder charge after the death of her husband.
A probable cause statement from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake County said Veronica Vizcarra, 30, was arrested Monday and transported to Salt Lake County Jail, where she is being held without bail.
The Unified Police Department responded on an unconscious male inside a residence in the area of South Townsend Way in Kearns March 11, the statement said. After UPD and Unified Fire Authority arrived, the man was pronounced dead. Investigators arrived on scene.
During the investigation, the man’s wife, Vizcarra, stated that the man had a serious alcohol problem and “takes too much Tylenol,” the statement said. He had been in the hospital for alcohol abuse about four months earlier, she said.
“There were healing bruises found on the man’s chest, back and face,” the statement said. “Veronica stated that the man had been in a fight at work about two weeks ago. The man’s sister stated that the man had not been in a fight. Veronica insisted that he had.”
The man’s body was taken to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. The only occupants living in the residence were Vizcarra, the victim and their infant child, the statement said.
On March 12, officials were contacted by the Medical Examiner’s Office. They advised that the victim “did have some serious medical issues due to alcohol use, however, his cause of death was blunt force trauma with a ruptured spleen and would be ruled a homicide,” the statement said. “The injury was in a stage of healing but was unable to heal due to the extensive damage.”
The arresting officer interviewed several witnesses that had spoken to the man between Feb. 27 and March 11.
“They all advised that the man had told them that Veronica had beaten him on Feb. 27 during a domestic dispute,” the statement said. “They all stated that the man told them he had been beaten with a staple gun and or nail gun.”
Two of the witnesses worked with the victim and both said he did not get into a fight with co-workers as Vizcarra said.
A search warrant was approved for the address on South Townsend Way. The warrant was served on March 16. Vizcarra, her infant child and two other adult females were located in the residence. During the search of the residence items related to the reported assault were located and seized.
Vizcarra has not yet been interviewed as she retained an attorney.
There are currently other pending domestic violence charges against Vizcarra from separate incidents involving her and the victim.
The victim’s name has not been released.
Vizcarra is considered a flight risk as she has family in Mexico and currently has a passport, the statement noted.
