Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.
SOUTH WEBER — A man who burned down a house in South Weber on Wednesday wanted to kill his former partner and himself, but the woman wasn't home and he sexually assaulted a different woman before lighting the fire, police said.
Jeffry Hansen, 65, was taken into custody Wednesday night in a domestic violence incident.
A police booking affidavit said Hansen arrived at a residence near 1400 E. South Weber Drive, around 3:30 p.m. and used a knife to break in through a dog door.
The house belongs to a woman identified as Victim 1 in the affidavit. Police said Hansen and the woman had previously lived together for multiple years.
The affidavit said Hansen was evicted from the residence by the woman in the summer of 2022. Since then, she changed the locks of the home and stopped all communication with Hansen, police said.
When Hansen entered the residence he encountered a different woman identified as Victim 2 by police; the first woman was not at home, the affidavit said. The second woman tried to call for help on her phone, but Hansen threatened her with a knife and demanded she hand over her phone and handcuff herself, police said.
Fearing for her life, the second woman gave Hansen her phone and handcuffed herself, the affidavit said. Hansen directed her to lay down on a bed then put duct tape on her mouth and around her ankles.
The affidavit said Hansen commented on the woman's breasts, grabbed one of her nipples "and later threatened to sexually assault her further."
Police said the woman managed to escape the handcuffs and struck Hansen over the head with her hands and the handcuffs attached to one of her wrists. She broke free of the duct tape and ran out of the house where she made contact with people nearby who called 911, the affidavit said.
Hansen then used a lighter and lit the first woman's clothes on fire inside the house, police said.
Hansen was leaving the house as a Davis County deputy arrived on scene, the affidavit said. The deputy tried to give commands to Hansen who was sitting on the steps to the house holding a knife, but Hansen refused to comply.
The deputy used a Taser to get Hansen into custody and at that point, the home was "completely engulfed in smoke and fire." Police said multiple fire departments helped control the blaze and extinguish it, but the house was a total loss.
Police said Hansen admitted to going to the home with the intent to burn it down and murder the woman who he had lived with. He also had planned to kill himself by staying in the home while it burned, they said.
Hansen also told police he wanted to use a gun to kill his former partner but did not have a gun because he is a convict. Hansen "said he knew Victim 1 wasn't there but wished she had been," the affidavit said.
Hansen was booked into Davis County Jail on investigation of aggravated arson, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated sexual assault, interruption/interference of a communications device, and interfering with an officer.
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
