TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Oct. 13, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A Taylorsville man was booked into jail Wednesday after he allegedly tried to drown his roommate in a bathtub after she asked him for rent money.
Taylorsville police arrived at the scene on Oct. 11 after being alerted by the victim’s coworker that she had just called him and told him that her roommate “had just tried to drown her in her bathtub.”
Officers arrived to find the suspect leaving the scene in a gold Chevy Blazer, and got the license plate before he got away, says a probable cause statement filed in the arrest of Johan Aguirre-Soriano, 34.
“The victim stated that Johan owed her rent and when she asked for the rent, Johan grew upset,” the probable cause statement says. “The victim stated the more she asked Johan for rent money the more upset he got.”
The woman told officers she began filling the bathtub for a bath before bed. She said Aguirre-Soriano “attacked her, grabbing her by the throat and began to choke her. Johan also struck the victim in the face multiple times causing injury to her face and lip.”
Aguirre-Soriano returned her to the bathroom, bent her backward over the tub, “and began holding her head under water,” the statement says. “Johan would occasionally lift the victims head out of the water and state things like, ‘you don’t really know me, you don’t know what I’m capable of.'”
The victim told the officer she believed Aguirre-Soriano was trying to kill her, and “she believed she was going to die.”
The woman said the attack continued for about 20 minutes until she was able to escape and lock herself in her room, and access her phone.
“I asked the victim why the entire floor in her apartment was soaked in water. The victim stated this was from her struggling with Johan, trying to keep him from drowning her,” the Taylorsville Police officer’s statement says.
Aguirre-Soriano was taken into custody the next day, and was charged on suspicion of murder (attempted), a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.
He is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail system.
