Salt Lake man charged with sending fake messages saying he'd killed his girlfriend

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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man said he was only joking when he allegedly told his friend he had killed his girlfriend and needed help burying her.

But police and prosecutors aren't laughing.

The 34-year-old man was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with emergency reporting abuse, a third-degree felony.

On Jan. 24, police say a man received several text messages from a co-worker saying that he had shot and killed his girlfriend. The man received several messages that stated, "I'm going to jail," "She is dead, I shot her," "Help me man, what should I do" and "Help me bury her, man, tonight," according to charging documents.

The man, unsure of what to do, called police.

Investigators were able to locate the co-worker, who when confronted, said he sent the messages "as a joke" and that his girlfriend was fine.

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Pat Reavy, KSLPat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.
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