ST. GEORGE, Utah, April 14, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A suspect has been arrested and details released after the stabbing death of a woman in St. George.
Jonathon David Cross, 43, is charged with the death of girlfriend Lisa Breinholt, 45.
Cross faces initial charges of murder, a first-degree felony; and criminal mischief — intentional damage, deface, destroy property, a class B misdemeanor.
According to a probable cause statement, on Wednesday morning police dispatch received a call from a woman saying that Jonathon Cross had killed his girlfriend. The caller reported that Cross was on the phone with her husband, had admitted to killing Breinholt and said he wanted to die.
The caller also reported that Cross said he was at the police department and had a knife in the car. Cross was asked to put the knife down prior to meeting with officers.
“Officers later found John in the parking lot of the St. George Police Department inside a Chrysler 300 registered to Lisa Breinholt,” the SGPD statement says. “John was taken into custody and placed into an ambulance and transported to the hospital due to his behavior and the information that we had received that he wanted to die.”
Officers also responded to the couple’s residence, on Sir Monte Drive, in St. George.
“There, officers found Lisa Breinholt deceased from what appeared to be stab wounds,” the statement says.
A search warrant was drafted for the residence, Breinholt’s car, which Cross had driven to the police station, and for Cross’ person and clothing, the statement continues.
The warrant was granted, and officers entered the residence.
“The room was extremely bloody and it was apparent that Lisa met her demise in an extremely violent and brutal manner,” the statement says. “Lisa was also found to have defensive wounds on her hands.”
The probable cause statement says Cross and Breinholt had been in a relationship for five or six years and lived together.
“It was learned that John and Lisa had been in an argument and that John had used
force to gain entry into the room he and Lisa shared. There was damage present on scene showing that John used force to enter the room where Lisa was found.
“John was later interviewed at the police station and kept making statements that he wanted to die and that officers should just kill him, and that he should not be there. John invoked his right to have legal council present and no interview was further conducted.”
The statement says the crime occurred while Cross was on probation or parole.
Cross was transported to jail without incident and is being held without bail.
