SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 14, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police have released the name of the 19-year-old woman allegedly killed by her boyfriend in a downtown hotel.
“The victim in this case is identified as 19-year-old Zhifan Dong,” says a tweet issued Monday by SLCPD. “There are no other updates to release as this remains an ongoing investigation.”
Dong’s body was found on Friday, Feb. 11, at the Quality Inn in Salt Lake City. Police responded after University Utah police were alerted of an email sent by Dong’s boyfriend, 26-year-old Haoyu Wang. Both were international students at the U.
“University PD was made aware of an email sent from a student to a member of the University of Utah staff. The email written and sent by A/P (arrested person) Haoyu Wang who stated that he injected his girlfriend, the victim, with heroin to relieve her from suffering,” Wang’s probable cause statement says. “The e-mail indicated that both would be dead when they were found.
“University Police pinged the victims phone bringing them to 616 South 200 West,” the statement says. “SLCPD and University PD conducted a welfare check on the hotel room registered to Haoyu Wang.”
When police made entry they found the suspect and the 19-year-old woman inside the room.
“It was apparent the girl was deceased,” the statement says.
“Post-Miranda, Haoyu said the two intended to commit suicide together,” the SLCPD officer wrote. “He ordered heroin and fentanyl on the dark net. He and the victim both snorted heroin. The victim… became unresponsive with labored breathing. Haoyu then injected her with a high dose of heroin with the intent to kill her and relieve her suffering. After injecting the victim, Haoyu said that she died. Haoyu then injected himself with heroin and remained in the room with the victim until police arrived.”
Wang as been booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, where he’s being held without bail on a first-degree felony charge of “murder-knowing and intentional.”
