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SALT LAKE CITY — Police arrested a Salt Lake man who they say attempted to strangle an 18-year-old woman.
Rick Loren Denison, 57, of Salt Lake City, was booked into jail Wednesday for investigation of attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault.
Police say Denison hired an escort to come to a house, 1349 E. Hudson. The woman declined to have sex with him, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.
That's when Denison "put his hands over (her) throat" pushed her down and began choking her until she lost consciousness, the report states. "The victim stated she thought she was going to die."
When the women regained consciousness, she began screaming for help. Denison then "shoved something in her mouth and began strangling her again," the report states. "The victim felt something getting wrapped around her neck."
After going unconscious a second time, the woman woke up to find "her stockings had been tied around her wrist and wrapped around her neck," according to the report.
After leaving the house, the woman contacted authorities. Her injuries were severe enough to require hospitalization, police said. Doctors found "severe ligature marks around her neck" and petechiae, or small spots caused by bleeding, in both eyes, the report states.
According to Utah court records, Denison's lengthy involvement in the court system dates back to 1986 when he was convicted of felony theft.
