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SALT LAKE CITY — A man admitted on Wednesday to shooting and killing his landlord when the landlord visited his rental property in 2019. The admission plea came a day before prosecutors decreased the charges from murder to manslaughter.
Amended charges cite a Utah law that says a murder charge can be altered to manslaughter if it happened "under a reasonable belief that the circumstances provided a legal justification or excuse."
Multiple other charges were dismissed for Manuel Velasquez, as part of a plea deal, including two counts of firing a gun and causing serious injury, a first-degree felony; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony; and abuse or desecration of a body, a third-degree felony.
South Jordan real estate agent David Stokoe, 40, who had gone missing the day before, was shot and killed on Jan. 17, 2019, while visiting a rental property he owned where Velasquez was living. It was believed Stokoe was attempting to discuss rent or evict the tenants of the apartment at the time.
Stokoe's body was found by police in the crawl space area of the rental property the next day.
An autopsy showed Stokoe was shot four times, three times in the back and one time in the groin.
A sentencing hearing for Velasquez is set for Nov. 22.
Diana Yvette Hernandez, who was at the residence at the time of Stokoe's death, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, in an associated case. She was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation but was let out of jail after about six months, and the felony was later reduced to a class A misdemeanor. Her probation ended early, as well.
