Boyfriend kills University of Utah student with lethal injection 'to relieve her from suffering'
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: A 19-year-old University of Utah student was killed in a Salt Lake City motel room by her boyfriend via a lethal drug injection on Friday, February 11.
In connection to her death, police have taken into custody Haoyu Wang, 26, who claimed he killed his girlfriend, an international student from China, to "relieve her from suffering," according to police reports.
In a letter to students and faculty, University of Utah Chief Safety Officer Keith Squires and Vice President for Student Affairs Lori McDonal addressed the “devastating” death of the student, writing, "The death of any young person embarking on adult life is devastating. 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."
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According to a statement of probable cause, Wang sent an email to a University of Utah employee stating he had injected the victim with drugs to "relieve her from suffering." The email also indicated that the couple would be dead before they were found. Shortly after getting the mail, University of Utah's officers reached out to Salt Lake City police, who found the suspect with the woman's body at a Quality Inn on 616 South 200 West.
The suspect, also an international student from China, told the police that he and the 19-year old entered a suicide pact and he had ordered the drugs on the "dark net", according to the probable cause statement. Wang claimed that he killed the 19-year-old and afterwards attempted to kill himself by injecting the drugs, as per police.The Salt Lake City Police described the incident as a "domestic violence-related homicide" in a press release.
The school and the police are withholding the victim’s identity until her family is notified.
Court records show the suspect had previously been charged with one count of assault for domestic violence in mid-January. According to the documents, Wang allegedly assaulted someone on January 12 at 171 W 500 South, minutes from the location of the motel he was found in Friday. He was scheduled to appear in court for that charge on February 16.
The death of the 19-year-old student is at least the eighth killing or high-profile death of a student or staff member of the university since 2016. Four of those previously killed were women, all of whose deaths were linked to domestic violence.