The Latest: Uncle says woman killed by spouse wanted divorce


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Latest on a suspected murder-suicide shooting outside a laboratory at the University of Utah (all times local):

4:38 p.m.

The family of a woman who police say was fatally shot by her husband says she had planned to get a divorce.

University of Utah police say 25-year-old Richard Peralta killed 23-year-old Katherine Peralta and then shot himself late Thursday night outside ARUP Laboratories at the University of Utah Research Park where the woman worked.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2hDfxrj ) that the woman's uncle, Tim Clayson, said Friday that the couple had been married since 2012 and had a 1-year-old son. Clayson said Katherine Peralta told family members she was concerned about her safety and needed to get a divorce though she had not yet filed any paperwork.

Online state court records don't show any protective orders for the couple.

Clayson says Katherine Peralta was a kind woman who was dedicated to her son. Her family also said in a statement that she was loved for her "genuine and soft-spoken" nature.

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2:26 a.m.

University of Utah police say a married couple is dead following a suspected murder-suicide shooting in a parking lot.

Police chief Dale Brophy says that the man allegedly shot his wife late Thursday afternoon before turning the gun on himself.

He identified the dead as 25-year-old Richard Peralta and 23-year-old Katherine Peralta.

Media reports say the woman was found dead outside ARUP Laboratories at the University of Utah Research Park, while the man died after being rushed to a hospital.

Brophy says the woman worked at ARUP and appears that her husband came there to confront her.

Authorities are trying to determine an exact motive.

Multiple buildings at the Research Park were locked down for less than an hour.

University spokeswoman Maria O'Mara says there was no ongoing threat.

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