Police on Saturday announced the arrests of three people for the homicide of real estate agent David Stokoe, 40. Manuel Velasquez, 31, was booked for murder and others charges, while Diana Hernandez, 30, and Jessica Miller, 38, were accused of interfering with the investigation.
Velasquez admittedly shot the victim with a handgun, according to court documents obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.
Police said Stokoe had been trying to evict tenants at an apartment on Thursday. Velasquez allegedly said the real estate agent kicked in the door and put him in a choke hold. The suspect claimed to grab a gun from his fanny pack to shoot the victim, according to cops.
The deceased’s half-brother Dean Belov told the outlet it would have been out of character for Stokoe to start a fight.
Police say Velasquez, Miller, and Hernandez hid the body in a crawlspace. They overlooked the body in an initial search, but found initial signs that got them “very concerned” about his condition, Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Greg Wilking said.
They began searching for his vehicle, and located it with two people unrelated to the homicide, cops said. One was released, and the other arrested on an alleged parole violation, Wilking said.
A GoFundMe was started to support Stokoe’s family.
[Image via Fox 13 Now screengrab]