MURRAY, Utah, July 10, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 45-year-old man is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail after West Valley City Police officers, responding Friday with a drug-related warrant to a Murray address, discovered a woman bound with duct tape in the suspect’s bedroom.
The 22-year-old woman, identified in court papers as C.C., was treated at an area hospital, and told officers the suspect, Michael Lee Curwick — whom she had stayed with for two or three days and knew only as “Irish” — had returned to the residence Friday morning and accused her of stealing from him.
“When C.C. denied the allegations, Irish told her that she was not allowed to leave and threatened to kill her multiple times with a hotshot, which C.C. described as a syringe full of drugs that would ultimately cause her to overdose and die,” says a probable cause statement filed by an officer of the West Valley City Police Department.
“C.C. stated Irish made the hotshots in the bathroom but then brought them into the bedroom where she was told to stay. Detectives executing the
search warrant located the hotshots in plain view, along with drug paraphernalia.
“C.C. further explained that Irish told her repeatedly that he was going to inject her with the hotshot and bury her in the Salt Flats with three other girls after he had killed her. C.C. also disclosed to Det. Lo Re that Irish had made a phone call about getting a van to come pick up C.C.’s body to take it out to the salt flats after he had killed her.”
C.C. reportedly told officers “‘my heart sank and my stomach turned,’ explaining she felt this way because she thought she was going to die…. Irish continued to yell at her about stealing and eventually assaulted her by punching and slapping C.C. in the face and kicking her in the side.”
Officers observed corresponding injuries, and the doctor doing the examination confirmed that “C.C. may have sustained a broken rib.”
C.C. also told investigators Curwick had used scissors to cut off her hair, which corresponded with hair found at the site.
“C.C. disclosed that Irish then told her to stay in the bedroom of the residence and told her not to leave or cry or he would knock her out…. C.C. disclosed she eventually began to scream, at which point Irish came back into the room and wrapped duct tape around C.C’s head, covering her mouth.
“C.C. advised that police arrived approximately three minutes later.”
Curwick has been charged on suspicion of:
- Aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Criminal conspiracy, a second-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substance l/ll/analog, a class A misdemeanor
- Use/possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
The West Valley City Police officer who filed the affidavit recommended Curwick be held without bail, stating he “is a clear and present danger in the community as there is clear evidence to support the felony charges he is being booked on, including conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated kidnapping.
“Additionally, AP is a known drug user and drug dealer with a violent criminal history including 15 years in federal prison.”
A judge ordered Curwick held without bail.
