Body recovered in Tooele, 3 arrested for suspicion of murder

Body recovered in Tooele, 3 arrested for suspicion of murder

(KSL TV, File)


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TOOELE — A body believed to be a missing person from Sandy was recovered in Tooele County on Monday and three people have been arrested for investigation of murder.

One of the three men arrested led Tooele County sheriff’s detectives “to the area of Faust Road where the victim’s body was located approximately 2.5 miles south of mile marker 6. The victim appears to have died from multiple gunshot wounds,” the sheriff’s office said in a prepared statement on Tuesday.

The name of the victim was not immediately released pending positive identification from the State Medical Examiner that it is in fact the missing person, the sheriff's office stated.

Wyatt William Smelser, 20, of Cottonwood Heights; Hakop Jack Keshishain, 20, of Sandy; and Izaiah Kirkpatrick, 20, of Draper, were each arrested for investigation of murder, criminal solicitation and tampering with evidence.

According to a police affidavit, the three men met at Keshishain’s apartment in Sandy where he said “that he wanted to kill the victim because he was running his mouth about Keshishain and Keshishain planned the murder with Kirkpatrick and Smelser.”

The affidavit lists the date of the alleged crime as May 21.

After the body was found, a search warrant was served on Keshishain’s apartment where “several weapons that (police) believe may have been used in the homicide” were recovered, the affidavit states.

Detectives interviewed Smelser who claimed “Kirkpatrick said he wanted to be the shooter” while Smelser suggested the area near Faust road “as a good location to kill the victim,” according to the affidavit.

“Smelser said the plan was to lure the victim to go shooting and shoot the victim. Smelser said he drove to the location, and Kirkpatrick shot the victim with a .45,” the affidavit continued. “Smelser said Kirkpatrick then drug the victim into some bushes."

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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