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SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan man admitted in court Monday to running over his wife in the parking garage at the Salt Lake City International Airport, killing her.
Shawn Christopher Sturgeon, 38, pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to criminal automobile homicide while driving under the influence, a second-degree felony, and domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony.
He was initially charged with manslaughter, a second degree felony, as an alternative to automobile homicide charge — which was dismissed with the guilty plea.
Surveillance videos show Sturgeon put his child in the car, got into the driver's seat and began backing up before his wife was in the car, dragging her under the vehicle, according to charging documents. After driving forward, he stopped and put his wife in the front passenger seat of the car and then drove to the payment booths at the airport, where he asked for help.
The charges say he "aggressively picked her up" and asked her why she did that, complaining about the need to take her to the emergency room.
Charlotte Sturgeon, 29, was given medical aid from paramedics and taken to the hospital, where she later died.
The couple was returning from a vacation with their young child on April 4 and people in the airport reported seeing the two fighting, charging documents state.
"(He) argued with his wife so loudly and viciously that it made several people in the area uncomfortable enough to stay and observe the ultimately fatal conclusion to this argument," the charges state.
A test showed Shawn Sturgeon's blood-alcohol level was at .13% at the time of the incident, which is more than twice the legal limit for driving.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9.
