Failed Suicide Pact: Man Kills Teen Girlfriend, Says He Survived Suicide Attempt

A 26-year-old Chinese national in Utah has been arrested after he injected drugs into himself and his girlfriend in an apparent suicide pact, which resulted in the latter's death.

Haoyu Wang was apprehended Friday in connection to the death of his 19-year-old girlfriend, the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) said in a statement.

The couple — both University of Utah students — were found by authorities in a room at the Quality Inn Downtown in Salt Lake City shortly after 6:05 a.m. during an investigation and welfare check, according to police.

Officers from the SLCPD took Wang into custody, while his unresponsive girlfriend was given immediate first aid. However, paramedics declared her dead.

Wang later told authorities that he injected heroin into himself and his girlfriend as the two had "intended to commit suicide together," newspaper The Deseret News reported, citing an affidavit.

Both university students initially snorted the drug, which the former allegedly bought from the darknet along with fentanyl, and it resulted in Wang's girlfriend becoming unresponsive.

"Haoyu then injected her with a high dose of heroin with the intent to kill her and relieve her suffering. After injecting the victim, Haoyu said that she died. Haoyu then injected himself with heroin and remained in the room with the victim until police arrived," according to an affidavit.

Authorities were prompted to investigate Wang after he reportedly sent an email to a staff member at his university that stated he injected his girlfriend with heroin "to relieve her from suffering."

Wang has since been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. He is currently being held without bail on a charge of "knowing and intentional murder," according to a report by The Washington Post.

As Wang and his girlfriend were in a romantic relationship and had been living together, the case is being investigated as a domestic violence-related homicide, police said.

The deceased has not been publicly identified, but the University of Utah described her as being an "international undergraduate student."

"The death of any young person embarking on adult life is devastating. And, unfortunately, domestic violence is more prevalent than many of us are aware, even among college students. On behalf of the university, we extend our heartfelt grief and sympathy to the family, friends and classmates of the victim during this incredibly difficult time," the university said in a statement released Friday.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.