6 People Beat Man To Death After He Allegedly Punched His Pregnant Girlfriend
KEY POINTS
- A 41-year-old Utah man was allegedly struck with a car before getting beaten to death by at least six people
- The suspects were allegedly told that Ortiz had beaten his pregnant girlfriend
- Two suspects, aged 19 and 18, were both jailed on charges of murder
A 41-year-old Salt Lake County, Utah, man was struck with a car and then beaten to death by a group of people Monday after he was accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend.
Fred Valdamar Ortiz was chased down by at least six people and then beaten behind Smith's grocery store in Magna, Fox 13 reported, citing arrest reports of the incident. Police arrived on the scene at approximately 2:30 p.m. and found Ortiz unconscious and not breathing.
Paramedics took him to Intermountain Medical Center, but he later died from his injuries, KUTV reported.
Prior to the incident, the group reportedly went to the home of Ortiz's pregnant girlfriend — who was a dog breeder — in search of a puppy when they were told by the woman that Ortiz had beaten her two days earlier and had given her a black eye.
Ortiz passed by the house on a scooter, and the group, which included a 13-year-old, allegedly started to chase after him. They chased him to the parking lot of the grocery store, where witnesses said they saw one of the suspects, 19-year-old Osyeanna Martinez, strike Ortiz with her Volkswagen Beetle, as per KUTV.
Ortiz attempted to run away, but the group caught up with him and allegedly began beating him with a pole while he was on the ground, according to the Fox 13 report.
Surveillance footage of the incident showed Martinez allegedly throwing two boards at Ortiz's back and head before punching and kicking him. Another suspect, identified as 18-year-old Xandre Sky Hill, was also seen allegedly beating Ortiz with a pole. Both Martinez and Hill were arrested and charged with murder.
The names of the other members of the group were not released, but three suspects had been identified by their initials.
All the suspects were in their late teens and early 20s, KUTV previously reported.
One of the suspects, who was related to Ortiz, told police that Ortiz had beaten his girlfriend, but the family was afraid to report the incident because he was on parole, claiming that "his probation officer will not do anything to lock him up," according to Fox 13.
The Unified Police Department is now looking for Easton Jorge Esparsa in connection with the incident. He is described to be 5-feet, 9-inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call the department at 801-743-7000.
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