SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 5, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A Salt Lake City woman has been sentenced to prison for the 2021 shooting murder of her girlfriend.
Patrice Ann Winward, 33, will serve 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison for the first-degree murder of Nicolle Carter, says a news release from the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office.
The shooting occurred on Aug. 17 of that year. Police arrived at the scene, 885 W. South Temple, to find Winward performing CPR on Carter, who died at the scene.
“Ms. Winward and Ms. Carter were riding their bikes in the early morning when they got into a heated verbal argument,” the sentencing statement says. “When Ms. Carter tried to get away from the situation, Ms. Winward fired a gun in her direction several times. One of the bullets hit Ms. Carter in the torso, killing her.
“Ms. Winward gave the gun she had used in the murder to a child to hide it in a storm drain. In addition, Ms. Winward lied to police when they arrived at the scene of the shooting, saying she had to leave to attend to a medical emergency at home.”
Winward was restricted from possessing a gun to multiple felony convictions. The gun later was recovered, and Winward admitted to lying to police about the reason for leaving the scene, the release says.
Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill shared thoughts on the sentence.
“Ms. Winward not only tried to avoid responsibility for this crime by giving her gun to someone else to hide but also by fleeing the scene shortly after police arrived,” he said in the prepared statement. “The sentence imposed helps ensure Ms. Winward is held accountable for the intentional, criminal act of violence that took Ms. Carter’s life.
“We mourn the death of Ms. Carter and hope that the resolution of this case will help her loved ones begin to heal.”
Gill’s statement thanked lead prosecutors Shane Cohen and Paul Fuller and their support staff, and the Salt Lake City Police Department.
