SMITHFIELD, Utah, May 2, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Criminal charges have been filed in connection with the stabbing death of a man outside a Smithfield home Thursday night.
The suspect, 25-year-old Shane Hallstrom, was arraigned in 1st District Court, and charged with murder, a first-degree felony. The offense carries a possible sentence of 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison upon conviction.
Officials said Hallstrom stabbed his father, Calvin Hallstrom, just after 5:30 p.m. outside a single-family dwelling at 380 E. 160 South.
Officers who arrived at the scene reported they found Calvin Hallstrom lying unresponsive, bleeding from the neck. Shane Hallstrom was kneeling in the roadway, just a few feet away from his father, and was taken into custody without incident. He is being held at the Cache County Jail.
Smithfield Police Department Chief Travis Allen said in a news release that officers initially responded to a report of an altercation in progress.
“First officers on scene witnessed an adult male near the street lying on the ground. He was bleeding and unresponsive,” the statement said. “Medical crews were quickly summoned to provide medical care. First observation is that the male had wounds consistent with a stabbing.
“The male was immediately transported by ambulance to Cache Valley Hospital. Once at the hospital, the victim was pronounced deceased.”
Detectives from the Smithfield Police Department, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office and the Logan City Police Department processed evidence and conducted interviews at the scene.
In October of 2015, Shane Hallstrom’s sister committed suicide by walking into traffic in Logan.
Before she died, the 26-year-old transgender woman took to Facebook to post her last words, and called for change to stop the persecution of the trans community. That letter then went viral.
