Man attacked, killed woman he once dated, then killed himself, police say

TAYLORSVILLE — Taylorsville police believe the shooting deaths of a man and woman early Wednesday are a murder-suicide involving a couple that used to date each other.

Police identified the deceased individuals Thursday as Taylor Martin, 26, of West Jordan, and Amanda Mayne, 34, of Taylorsville.

Mayne is the cousin of Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, spokesman Jackson Murphy said.

"I can confirm that Mandy Mayne is Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's cousin," Murphy told KSL. "At this time, the lieutenant governor is not ready to share any more information and respectfully asks for privacy for her family. Lt. Gov. Henderson will talk about the tragedy of domestic violence in greater detail at the appropriate time for her family."

Henderson posted a heartfelt tweet Thursday afternoon about the incident and her cousin. She also spoke about the dangers of domestic violence.

"Our family is reeling from the devastating and senseless loss of my sweet cousin, cut down in the prime of life — a victim of the sort of violence that has become far too prevalent in our state," the tweet read. "We are shocked and grieving. We will miss this precious soul and her golden smile.

"If you – or someone you know – fear for your safety due to stalking or intimate partner violence, please contact the statewide domestic violence info line at 1-800-897-5465 for help, including counseling, shelter, transportation, and other services."

The investigation began about 5 a.m. Wednesday when emergency dispatchers received multiple reports of shots fired in the area of 3600 West and 4700 South. Mayne's body was found on a sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

Based on surveillance video collected from the area, detectives believe Martin used a ride-sharing service to go to a nearby gas station where he waited for Mayne who was walking to a bus stop on her way to work and then attacked her, said Taylorsville Police Sgt. Jake Hill.

About 30 minutes later, Martin's body was found about a block away near 3500 West on 4700 South. He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police announced Thursday. A handgun was recovered next to his body.

"Investigators have determined that Mayne and Martin were in a relationship in the past but had not been living with each other for more than a year. There are currently no court orders of protection in place between either of the parties. Martin is restricted from possessing a firearm and investigators are working to determine where or how he obtained the gun. Additional details are limited, as the case remains an active investigation," police said in a statement.

Detectives also determined that a vehicle belonging to an uninvolved motorist was hit by a stray bullet stemming from the same incident. No one in the vehicle was injured.

Because Mayne and Martin have not been together for more than a year, investigators were still looking Thursday into a possible motive for the killing.

Martin was involved in a series of criminal incidents starting in late 2016 and continuing into 2017, some of them involving Mayne's family, according to court records. In December 2016, police were called to investigate Martin for sending threatening messages to Mayne's mother. He continued to send threatening messages after learning the mother was seeking a protective order, charging documents state. He was convicted of tampering with a witness.

In September 2017, while being booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for an unrelated incident, he claimed he had placed a pipe bomb at the residence of Mayne's mother. He was convicted in that case of making a terroristic threat. No pipe bomb was found.

Then in November of 2017, while Martin was incarcerated at the Salt Lake County Jail, he said he was going to "conduct a mass shooting at the courthouse" because he thought the judge in his case was being unfair, according to charging documents. He was convicted in that case of making a threat against a judge.

He was sentenced to a year in jail with credit for the 155 days he had already served for the witness tampering and threatening a judge cases, court records state. He received another 30-day jail sentence for spitting at the officer.

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