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SALT LAKE CITY — Police are seeking the public's help finding a person of interest in an unusual murder case that started with a confrontation inside a Salt Lake apartment.
Astacia Felice Carter, 24, is "more of a witness than anything" in the case, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden.
Carter, whose last known address is in Taylorsville, is described as Hispanic with brown hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 1 inch tall and about 140 pounds.
On Saturday night, Leroy Daniel Valdez, 34, returned home to his apartment at 1329 N. Redwood Road "to remove some people that were there," Salt Lake Police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said Sunday.
Valdez had been locked out and "had to force entry into his own apartment," Shearer said.
Valdez told police the lights were off, but he suspected that people were inside. He approached his roommate's window and kicked it in, then heard a woman scream, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. It wasn't specified Thursday whether police believe Carter is that woman.
Armed with a gun, Valdez then kicked in the door of his apartment, the jail report states. A struggle then ensued, leading to one shot being fired that killed Kenonren Goodman, 33, according to Shearer.
Valdez allegedly left the scene but later returned to the apartment and turned himself in to police. He was arrested for investigation of murder and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he remained Thursday.
The jail report says Valdez claimed he was immediately attacked when he went inside the apartment and that his gun went off when he tried to use both his hands to push a man away.
Court records show Valdez's prior criminal history in Utah is limited to a DUI conviction in 2014.
Several details about the incident remained unclear Thursday, including how Goodman and possibly others made their way into Valdez's apartment, how many people were there and what they were doing there.
Anyone with information about Carter's whereabouts is asked to call 801-799-3000. People can also text TIPSLCPD, followed by their tip, to 274637. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
