TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Sept. 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — An 18-year-old man police had been searching for as part of a West Valley City murder investigation was taken into custody Tuesday night in Taylorsville.
Arrest documents filed for Magna resident Esteban Galvez reveal more about the Sept. 15 incident that took the life of 21-year-old Brian Torres, who was reportedly a romantic rival.
“Officers located Galvez and conducted a traffic stop near 4100 S. Redwood Road,” says a West Valley City Police social media post announcing the arrest. “Galvez was taken into custody without incident and has been booked into jail for homicide.”
On Sept. 15, dispatch was alerted at 4:25 p.m. about a shooting in the general area of 2800 West and 2700 South.
“Officers arrived on scene and located a deceased male, Brian Torres Hernandes, lying on the driveway between two vehicles. Brian had multiple visible gunshot wounds to his torso. Multiple shell casings were located around Brian’s body (13 in total),” says an affidavit filed in the arrest of Galvez.
“Witnesses on scene and close to the scene observed a known male, Esteban Galvez, run across the road and start shooting Brian until Brian fell to the ground where he died. Prior to shooting Brian, Esteban pointed his handgun at a female with whom he had an intimate relationship in the past as well as a child in common. No shots were fired at her, but the gun was pointed directly at her.
“Esteban then left the scene in an orange-colored Hyundai Accent at a high rate of speed.”
Galvez eluded capture until Tuesday, when he was apprehended “through investigative measures,” the statement says.
“The gun used in the murder has not been located. Esteban had an active warrant for a domestic violence charge.”
The reporting officer recommended Galvez be held without bail, which he is, and added the following statement in the affidavit:
“Esteban demonstrates an immense threat to public safety. Esteban told witnesses that he went back to get more ammunition to kill his ex-girlfriend, but her family came out the front door, so he left. There are recorded conversations where Esteban directly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and her family, specifically by shooting them with a gun. Esteban has shown no remorse and instead told witnesses it felt good to kill Brian and that he has more unfinished business to take care of. This murder was done with malice and with a cold heart.”
Galvez was booked for investigation of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a second-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony
- Six counts of felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony
As always, charges are determined in a review by the county attorney’s office.
A GoFundMe account set up says it is raising money to go toward funeral costs for Torres. As in all cases, Gephardt Daily cannot guarantee funds raised will be used for the purpose stated. To check out the account for yourself, click here.
Second arrest
Also taken into custody at the time of Galvez’s arrest was Kimberly Samantha Reynon Munoz, 31, who was charged for investigation of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
“Kimberly was identified during an ongoing murder investigation for transporting a murder suspect to Pleasant Grove. Kimberly responded to the area where the murder suspect fled to immediately following the shooting. The suspect told her he had just shot and killed a male,” her affidavit says.
“The homicide occurred on 9/15/23. Kimberly was present with the murder suspect and another person while the murder suspect discussed intimate information about the homicide. Kimberly’s vehicle was observed on surveillance footage with the murder suspect a few hours after the homicide in Pleasant Grove.”
Post Miranda, she “confirmed she drove the homicide suspect to Pleasant Grove and that the homicide suspect told her he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. When Kimberly arrived in Pleasant Grove, the homicide suspect went into detail about the homicide and that they were going to flee the country. … Kimberly said she wanted to help the homicide suspect because she was afraid for the suspect because of the consequences they faced.”
Munoz was also ordered to be held without bail.
