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SALT LAKE CITY — The man arrested in connection with the murder and sexual assault of a woman in Fairmont Park and the rape of a second woman has a long and violent criminal history.
Paul David Vara, 30, was arrested for investigation of homicide, aggravated sexual assault, forcible sexual abuse and object rape.
Salt Lake police investigators originally arrested Vara Wednesday morning in connection with the rape of a woman in Pioneer Park on Dec. 14.
After he was taken into custody, additional information was collected that linked Varas to the brutal rape and murder of Kristine Marie Gabel, 45, whose body was found in a restroom at Fairmont Park four days after the rape in Pioneer Park.
A Salt Lake County Jail report details a very disturbing crime scene in Fairmont Park. The woman raped in Pioneer Park also suffered serious bodily injury, according to jail records.
Salt Lake police have released very limited information, saying the case was being handed over the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office Thursday and that more information would be released later by them.
Both Vara and Gabel were considered homeless at the time of the assault. It was not known Thursday if Vara was randomly preying on homeless women or if there was any connection between him and his two victims.
Vara is listed in jail records as being 6-foot-1 and 260 pounds.
A search of various records, including Utah state court records, seem to draw a picture of a man with a violent past.
In March, Vara was charged with aggravated assault in 3rd District Court. Vara pushed a man against a car near 1455 W. 400 South, breaking the passenger mirror. The man then fell to the ground while trying to restrain Vara. Vara proceeded to punch and kick the man while he was on the ground, breaking his arm, loosening teeth, breaking a finger on his other arm and cutting his right ear, according to court documents.
Vara told police after "that he did not mean for it to go this far."
The case was set for trial in July but later dismissed for an unknown reason.
Vara also has an extensive criminal record in Texas. His last listed home was in San Antonio.
A spokeswoman with the Bexar County District Attorney's Office said Vara's most recent charge in their office was on Aug. 2 and was injury to a child, a felony. Prior to that, his last charge in Texas was in 2007.
But his adult charges in Texas date from 2007 back to 1998, when he would have been 18. His charges in Texas include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2004, assault in 2001, two separate incidents of assault causing bodily injury in 2000 and another one in 1999. He had several charges of burglary and vehicle burglary in 1998.
Everywhere he goes, he's OK for awhile, then something happens.
–Pauline Vara
Records show Vara may have also lived in Minnesota, South Carolina and North Carolina.
In San Antonio, Vara's grandmother, Pauline Vara, told the Deseret News Thursday that his family was still trying to get updates on what happened in Salt Lake City.
She said Paul Vara had always been respectful toward her, but he had been a long-time alcoholic and she had heard stories of his temper. Paul Vara lived with his grandmother for awhile, but she finally had to ask him to move out because of his drinking, she said.
"He's just always drinking," Pauline Vara said. "He's got a short tempter, yeah, he does. That's one of the problems. He was always drinking. He couldn't hold a job."
Pauline Vara said Paul had two children from his marriage in Texas. She believed he also had a common-law wife in Salt Lake, but was evicted a few months ago because of an altercation.
She acknowledged that Vara had "been in jail so many times" in Texas.
"I don't know what to do for him. He'd be OK for a few days, then start drinking again. Everywhere he goes, he's OK for awhile, then something happens. But this one, this is really big," she said of the homicide arrest. "I feel really sorry for the person this happened to. I feel so sorry for the ladies and their families."
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com
