TOOELE, Utah, June 9, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- A 21-year-old Tooele man has been charged with murder after fatally stabbing a man police say was a friend of the accused's mother.
Court documents show that Isaac Daniel Gary Smith was arrested for alleged murder, a first-degree felony.
Smith's probable cause statement says police responded after hearing someone call for help, and "located a 54-year-old male stabbing victim, covered in blood, lying on the shoulder of the street" near 96 N. 100 East, near the police station.
Shortly after that, the document states, dispatch advised officers that a 21-year-old male, Isaac Smith, had called 911 from his own phone and alleged that he was attacked by his mother's friend at the address, and that he had stabbed the man.
"When asked what part of the body was stabbed, Mr. Smith responded, 'neck, face, head.'"
"Dispatch directed Mr. Smith to exit the residence at the request of responding officers, which he did, and was detained by police pending further investigation of the incident."
The victim was treated on scene and at a local hospital for traumatic bleeding injuries, consistent with being caused by a cutting instrument(s), but was ultimately pronounced deceased from the trauma, the probable cause statement says. The official manner and cause of death are currently pending with the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.
The Tooele City Police officer who wrote the arrest document said he arrived to find "a pool of red liquid, consistent with blood, in the street in front of the residence where the victim had been located and treated. An unlocked, unoccupied passenger vehicle was parked on the street in front of the residence near the pool of presumed blood, wherein a phone and wallet belonging to the victim were recovered by police." The wallet was located inside a backpack within the vehicle, according to the officer.
The officer followed the blood trail into the single-family residence. The trail extended from a bedroom, through a hall and living room, down the front steps and to the street.
The blood the officer observed "was consistent with profuse, traumatic, and life-threatening bleeding," the statement says.
"Mr. Smith's phone, used to contact 911, was located on a living room table, next to a black-colored, roughly 5-6 inch folded folding knife, with what appeared to be blood thereon."
The officer then left the residence and phoned Smith's mother, who said the victim was a childhood friend of hers who visited infrequently, the document states. She told the officer the victim had called her while she was at work and told her he may have left his wallet behind when he stopped by the night before.
According to the document, Smith's mother said she told the victim that her son was home, so the victim could go over and look for his wallet.
"The mother reported no past or present known issues between Mr. Smith and the victim, and that Mr. Smith seemed unaffected by the victim's visit," a day prior, the court documents say.
Post Miranda, Isaac Smith told police his mother had alerted him that her friend would be coming by to search for the missing wallet.
"Mr. Smith stated that the victim returned at about midnight. Mr. Smith indicated that he opened the door for the victim, recognized him, and allowed the victim into the residence. Mr. Smith stated the victim was acting 'shady,' as if he was looking for more than he should be."
"Mr. Smith stated that he confronted the victim about acting shady once they were both in the same bedroom, where I had previously observed presumed blood. Mr. Smith stated that the victim denied the 'shady' behavior, then tried to offer Mr. Smith cigarettes with his right hand."
According to the document, Smith told the officer that, while the victim was approaching him, the victim reached for Smith's right wrist, "which Mr. Smith alleged caused him to panic and feel the need to defend himself by pulling a knife from his back right pocket and stabbing the victim (with his right hand) in their neck/head area."
Smith told the officer that the man who died had not said anything before the stabbing to suggest ill intent and had never threatened him previously. He also said that, when he stabbed the man, he (Smith) was standing between the victim and the bedroom door.
"Mr. Smith stated that after he first stabbed the victim, the victim 'rushed' him, which Mr. Smith stated he perceived as an escalation by the victim,"
Asked by the officer if the victim could have just been trying to leave through the room's only door, "Mr. Smith acknowledged that it could have been the case. Mr. Smith complained of minor back pain from being pushed into the door, but did not have any observable injuries to his back, and only a minor scratch on his left hand and above his lip. Mr. Smith declined to be evaluated by EMS or a doctor."
"Smith indicated that he has mental illness (currently unverified), for which he is prescribed medications that he does not take as prescribed."
Smith was ordered held without bail.
