A landlord-tenant dispute in Salt Lake City ended with the death of 40-year-old David Thomas Stokoe on January 17, 2019. Stokoe, a real estate agent from South Jordan, went to an apartment he owned on Princeton Avenue to address rent issues or to evict the tenants and did not return home. Officers called to the property the next day found signs of a significant injury and, later that evening, discovered Stokoe’s body behind a hidden door leading to a crawlspace. An autopsy showed he had been shot multiple times, including three times in the back and once in the groin.

His 2015 Cadillac Escalade had been missing but was recovered in West Valley City; the two people found with the vehicle were not linked to the homicide. The investigation focused on the tenants; Manuel Velasquez was charged with murder, while Jessica Miller and Diana Hernandez were charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly cleaning the scene and concealing the body. Velasquez told investigators he shot Stokoe after being placed in a chokehold and said it was self-defense, but police reported no evidence of forced entry and Stokoe’s family described him as non-confrontational.

Does anyone have information about Stokoe’s visit to the apartment or the events that afternoon?