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Sandra Yi ReportingPolice are looking for a suspect in the brutal beating of a Salt Lake City man. A neighbor called for medical crews to check on the man who lives in that apartment. When they went inside, they found him severely beaten.
Shirley Fontenoy: "We had left about a quarter after 2:00 and everything seemed to be ok."
But Shirley Fontenoy and her husband got a disturbing call from a neighbor and rushed home to find police there.
Floyd Nipper, Neighbor: "It was a real scary situation to get a phone call and come home and get questioned by police."
The couple's next-door neighbor, identified by family members as 29-year old Pilar Ramirez, had been badly beaten. A friend, who didn't want to be identified, says Ramirez couldn't talk or open his eyes.
Shirley Fontenoy: "I heard that it was pretty bad. He was beaten with a ball bat, and they don't know if he's going to make it or not."
Neighbors don't know who would do something like this or why. They say the victim, who went by the name Mario, was a nice guy. But they noticed a man lingering near his apartment, earlier that day.
Shirley Fontenoy: "I'd never seen him around before, and he kept tracing back and forth."
Floyd Nipper: "He went by the house three times and gave us dirty looks and everything."
Police are investigating, but have few answers.
Det. Joe Cyr, Salt Lake City Police Dept.: "Right now, our homicide detectives are looking for any leads in the case. They're looking for suspects and witnesses."
Neighbors are concerned and scared, but their thoughts are with the victim.
Shirley Fontenoy: "I hope that they catch whoever did it."
Ramirez is in critical condition at the hospital.
Again, police are looking for any leads in this case, including witnesses. If you have any information on this case, call Salt Lake City Police.
