A family violence incident in the pre-dawn hours of January 24, 2017, in West Valley City left 46-year-old Gregory Micheal VanDerMerwe dead and his 67-year-old wife critically wounded. Gregory intervened to stop the assault; during a 911 call placed by Gregory’s wife, a gunshot was heard and the dispatcher recorded the chaotic moments that followed.

Police found Gregory deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. The wife was found with a gunshot wound to the head, was taken to hospital in critical condition, and later died two weeks after the attack. The grandfather survived multiple stab wounds in a bathroom. Michael Vandemerwe reportedly surrendered to officers and, according to charging documents, confessed, saying there was no question he did it. He was charged with aggravated murder and two counts of attempted aggravated murder; investigators say his intent appeared to be to kill all three family members.

Are there witnesses or neighbors who remember anything from that early morning that could shed more light on what happened?