SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, March 16, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A Salt Lake County man originally arrested by Unified Police for the attempted murder of his sister, and later convicted of aggravated kidnapping and assault, has been sentenced to prison.
For the first-degree felony kidnapping, 57-year-old Samuel Shroy Martindale was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
For the two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, he was sentenced to zero to five years for each count, and they are to run concurrent to each other, but consecutive to all other current prison sentences.
On Feb. 15, 2024, police responded to a report of a violent assault at a home in Salt Lake County, says a news release issued by the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office.
“When officers arrived, they found a woman, the defendant’s sister, with serious injuries, including cuts and heavy bruising to her face and body.
“The defendant was staying with his sister after his release from a rehab program. During this stay, the defendant relapsed.”
Martindale came home upset about a bicycle, and began yelling and attacking the victim inside the house, the statement says.
“The victim repeatedly asked that the attack stop, but the defendant continued the assault. The victim went into the bathroom to hide, but the defendant followed into the room and used a toilet bowl lid as a weapon, all while telling the victim that she would not leave the bathroom alive and he was going to kill her,” the SLCDA Office statement says..
“The defendant tied up the victim with a phone charging cable and tried to drag the victim downstairs into the basement. He was unable to drag the victim, so he cut the cord with a knife. He placed the knife near her neck and forced the victim downstairs into a storage room in the basement, while the threats and assaults continued.”
The storage room door locked from the outside and Martindale’s older sister was unable to escape.
“At one point, the victim received a phone call from a friend. The defendant made her answer the call and claim she was fine. When the call was answered, she yelled out to call the police.
“The defendant became angrier and continued to assault the victim until the defendant stormed out of the home before police arrived.”
Court documents say police arrived to find the victim “bleeding from the ears, forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, chest, forearms and left elbow.”
Martindale was sentenced Friday, the Monday statement says.
“In Salt Lake County, we will vigorously prosecute those defendants that cause harm to others,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in the prepared statement.
“We will especially take notice of those defendants that cause harm to loved ones that have offered shelter and safety. The victim in this case opened up her home to the defendant, only to be viciously attacked. We will not tolerate this behavior.”
