Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
AMERICAN FORK — An Orem man admitted Tuesday that he strangled his girlfriend, 20-year-old Sandra Robles, during an argument over a vape pen.
Daniel Padilla-Ang, 28, pleaded guilty to murder related to domestic violence, a first-degree felony.
Padilla-Ang called 911 early in the morning on March 25 and reported that he had strangled Robles. Deputy Utah County attorney Peter Reichman said police found Padilla-Ang with blood on his hands and found the victim in his bedroom not breathing. They attempted to revive her, but the attempts were not successful.
Padilla-Ang told detectives that Robles had a THC vape pen he wanted to use, and it broke as he grabbed it from her. Robles slapped Padilla-Ang, and he responded by shaking and strangling her.
Padilla-Ang drank a few shots of alcohol and texted family members before calling 911, according to court documents.
Fourth District Judge Roger Griffin told Padilla-Ang he would likely spend 15 years in prison before being considered for parole, and could be in prison for life, if he pled guilty. Padilla-Ang said he understood this.
Padilla-Ang is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 30.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
