SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 5, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Charging documents reveal disturbing details in the case of a man who police say ran over his wife in a parking garage at the Salt Lake City International Airport, causing her death.
Shawn Christopher Sturgeon, 38, has been charged with automobile homicide criminal negligence DUI of alcohol/drugs, a second-degree felony, in the death of his wife, Charlotte Sturgeon, 29.
The Sturgeons and their small child had just returned from a vacation, and were on the second floor of the short term parking structure, Shawn Sturgeon’s probable cause statement says. Salt Lake City police were called to the airport at 2:39 p.m. Monday.
“Details were that a female was run over by a vehicle,” the statement says. “Upon further investigation and video surveillance, it was determined that the A/P (arrested person) was driving the vehicle and the person that he ran over was his wife.
“The arriving officers stated that the A/P appeared to be under the influence of alcohol as evidenced by the odor coming from his mouth and glassy bloodshot eyes.”
A review of surveillance video shows that Shawn Sturgeon placed the child into the rear passenger-side back seat of the SUV, then got into the driver’s seat.
“The victim appears to be standing in the open rear passenger door and the A/P begins to reverse the vehicle. The victim’s legs can be seen flailing about as he continues to reverse, (the victim) being dragged, which causes her to fall to the ground under the vehicle,” the statement says.
“The A/P drives forward and then runs the victim over with the right rear passenger tire and drives approximately 10 feet before stopping. The A/P then walks the victim to the vehicle and puts her in the front passenger seat.”
An earlier statement from the SPCLD says Sturgeon stopped and asked for help when he got to the parking payment both on airport grounds.
“The victim was transported to a hospital where she died a short time later from her injuries,” Sturgeon’s probable cause statement says.
Detectives processed the two crime scenes, the parking garage site and the parking payment booth area, officers transported Sturgeon to the Public Safety building for questioning and booking.
“The A/P made several spontaneous utterances that he ‘ran my wife over,’ ‘killed
my wife’ and ‘I accidentally ran her over.'”
At the station, “The A/P stated he wanted an attorney and did not make any statements regarding the incident. A blood draw warrant was obtained for samples of his blood. The A/P is being booked for automobile homicide (F2).”
Sturgeon is being held without bail.
