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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah State Prison inmate has been charged with murder after he "let loose" on his cellmate.
Jacob Paul Ecker, 23 — who goes by a list of monikers including "C-Mug," "Twilight" and "Jacob Crazy" — was charged in 3rd District Court with murder, a first degree felony.
On April, 27, Utah Department of Corrections officers were called to the cell where Ecker and Alfonso Lopez, 27, were cellmates. They found Lopez "lying on the ground, bleeding from his mouth and nose," according to the charges.
Ecker stated that he is sadistic and enjoyed seeing Lopez hurt.
–Charging documents
Lopez's head and face were swollen. The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office later determined he died from "massive internal bleeding" and also suffered fractured ribs and sternum, a lacerated heart, collapsed lung and multiple liver lacerations.
Ecker told officials that after the two got into an argument, he "let loose" on Lopez. "Ecker stated that he is sadistic and enjoyed seeing Lopez hurt," the charges state.
When Lopez was already down on the floor, Ecker said he "'stomped him out' to ensure he would not get up," according to the charges.
Prior to the homicide, Ecker was serving a prison sentence for possession/purchase of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, attempted aggravated assault and attempted kidnapping.
At the time, the homicide marked at least the third violent incident at the prison in three weeks and prompted corrections officials to put the entire prison in lockdown for about a week.
Email:preavy@ksl.com
