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WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley man was charged Friday with stabbing a woman multiple times in a house they shared and then hiding her body in a shed.
Justin VanCleave, 18, aka "Little Fat," was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, in the May 23 killing of Amanda Garcia, 33.
VanCleave lived in the house, 2960 Mountain Goat Way (7170 West), with his mother, three brothers and Garcia, but court documents do not specify the relationship between him and Garcia.
After officers were called to the house, they discovered "bloody drag marks on the steps and patio leading from the house to the backyard," as well as a bag containing bloody towels, clothing and a knife inside a shed behind the house, charging documents state.
VanCleave's mother told police that while she was at work, she received a phone call from Garcia about 11 a.m. that day and she could hear her son in the background. She said they were the only two people home at the time, charges state.
Shortly after, the mother received a text message from her son saying that Garcia had left the house, according to the charges. When she arrived home about 12:30 p.m., she said the 18-year-old was taking a shower and was nursing a cut finger.
Three friends went to the house and VanCleave told them he had stabbed Garcia with a kitchen knife and showed them her body, charging documents state. "Justin VanCleave asked them to help him dispose of the body but they refused," police wrote.
VanCleave later told police he stabbed Garcia in the bathroom, then cleaned up the bathroom and put her body in the shed, according to the charges. Police say he then told them where to find the knife he used and the clothing he was wearing.
VanCleave is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail on $1 million cash-only bail.
