Police identify couple who died in Univ. of Utah murder-suicide

Katherine Peralta, 23, and her husband, Richard Peralta, 25 died in an apparent murder-suicide outside ARUP Laboratories on the University of Utah campus, December 29, 2016. Photos: Facebook

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 30. 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Police at the University of Utah have identified the couple killed Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide.

Investigators say Katherine Peralta, 23, was shot and killed by her husband around 4:45 p.m. in the parking lot of ARUP Labs at the University of Utah.

Richard Peralta, 25, then turned the gun on himself. He died a short while later after being rushed to a local trauma unit.

According to the couples’ social media postings, they first met in September 2009, were engaged in December 2011, and married Dec. 21, 2012.

They have one child — a son — born in the fall of 2015.

Photo Facebook

Richard, was originally from Newark, New Jersey. He graduated in 2009 from Lehi High School and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy.

Katherine Peralta, known as Katie to friends and family, started work at ARUP Labs just last May 2016.

In Richard’s final Facebook post, entered on Christmas Day, he wrote of spoiling his young son with gifts, but also stated it had been a difficult month.

“Love being able to give all these presents to my son and spoil him like a father should,” he wrote. “It has been a rough month for me but spending the day with him and being able to make him smile and laugh has been fantastic …. ”

A search of Utah court records found no evidence of divorce proceedings or other domestic strife.

Gephardt Daily will update the story as information becomes available.

Police investigators on the scene of an apparent murder suicide in the parking lot of ARUP Laboratories at the University of Utah Dec 29 201 Photo Gephardt Daily

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