Mob of angry people beats Utah man to death after pregnant girlfriend says he gave her a black eye
by Leigh Egan
Crime OnLine
June 16, 2021
A Utah man is dead after police say an angry mob of people chased him down and beat him behind a store in Magna, allegedly for giving his pregnant girlfriend a black eye.
According to an arrest report, at least six people chased after 41-year-old Fred Valdamar Ortiz on Monday. They beat him to death after catching up to him at the Smith’s Food and Drug store off of West 3500 South. When police arrived at the scene, Ortiz wasn’t breathing.
Fred Valdamar Ortiz and his girlfriend before he gave her a black eye
Documents obtained by Fox 13 indicate that a group of people went to the home of Ortiz’s girlfriend, a dog breeder, to buy a puppy. While there, the woman told the group that her eye was black because Ortiz hit her a few days prior.
As the group talked to the girlfriend, Ortiz rode by on a scooter, prompting the group to chase after him, court documents read. Osyeanna Maria Martinez, 19, who was driving a car with other group members, ultimately plowed into Ortiz, according to what the group told police.
The angry mob then allegedly chased Ortiz down as he tried to get away, and ended up beating him with a pole and possibly a pipe according to court documents. Police said security footage captured Martinez punching Ortiz and kicking him, and throwing two boards at his back and head.
Another group member, identified as Xandre Sky Hill, 18, was also caught on camera beating Ortiz. Police said a 13-year-old child was in the group that helped chase Ortiz down.
“In the video, detectives observed at 1:36 p.m., [Ortiz] running and [Martinez] chasing him. Martinez throws two boards at [Ortiz’s] back/head and as he gets to the sidewalk near 8000 West 3567 South, Martinez grabs him and was punching and kicking him,” the affidavit read.
A woman named Hannah, who was also in the group, told police she asked the pregnant girlfriend to get the group to stop as she witnessed them beating Ortiz, KSL reports. Hannah said the girlfriend was standing nearby as the attack happened but reportedly didn’t make the group stop.
Another female in the group, identified as M.P., told police that the pregnant girlfriend is her mother and that Ortiz was her stepfather. She said they didn’t report Ortiz for hitting his girlfriend because they didn’t think his probation officer would do anything to help.
“They have been scared to report it because (Ortiz) is on parole and his probation officer will not do anything to lock him up,” police wrote.
M.P. said she missed most of the attack after she tried to use pepper spray on Ortiz but the wind made the spray go into her own face. She was in the restroom rinsing her eyes out when the attack happened.
Hill and Martinez were arrested and taken to the Salt Lake County Jail Monday on an investigation of murder charges. They’re being held without bail.
No other suspects have been arrested at this time. Police said all of the people involved in the incident knew each other.
2 comments:
Those Mormons have a strong sense of right and wrong.
They should be released on O.R. without the need for posting bail.
If it was California, they would already be on the street.
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