ST. GEORGE, Utah — A woman was found dead in her St. George home Sunday night, and her husband has been arrested on suspicion of killing her.
The suspect, 50-year-old Eric Larson Sampson, was already on a conditional release for a previous domestic violence incident in July.
Police were called around 8:35 p.m. to a two-story home on the 2800 block of 2300 East in the Little Valley neighborhood of St. George. There, they found 47-year-old Niki Sampson dead.
The husband was the only other person in the home at the time. Police identified him as the suspect and arrested him. He faces a first-degree felony charge of murder, along with a second-degree felony count of aggravated assault with domestic violence.
Off camera, a neighbor told FOX 13 News that there was a wellness check on Niki Sampson earlier in the day and she was alive at the time.
In the arrest report, police said there was "suspicious bruising" on the victim's body, ranging from her arms to her face, "in different stages of healing, although many of the bruises appeared to be fresh."
Police also said they found a journal in the couple's home, which contained notes presumable written by Niki Sampson. Some of the notes reportedly talked about how Eric Sampson would become angry and aggressive when drinking alcohol, and "specifically mentioned that [Niki Sampson] was afraid for her life."
Eric Sampson talked to police after being informed of his Miranda rights. According to police, he told them he was drinking on Sunday and also discussed "previous physical altercations" with his wife. He admitted that he was home alone with her that day; however, he denied causing the visible injuries found on her body. Police also said he gave false and inconsistent statements about what happened. In addition, he reportedly admitted that he did not call 911 after trying to wake up his wife for 10-20 minutes. The 911 call came from a concerned person, who was not identified, who entered the home out of concern for Niki Sampson and found her unresponsive.
According to police records from Eric Sampson's previous arrest on July 25, Niki Sampson said her husband grabbed her and threw her on their bed, then placed his knees on her arms to pin them down and pulled on her hair. Eric Sampson was released the same day on the condition that he not commit any other offenses, but the city said during arraignment that there would not be a protective order.
Susan Ertel, the board president of the Dove Center, which provides services for domestic and sexual abuse survivors, said victims of domestic violence usually don’t know where to turn.
She says those who think their friends or neighbors are victims of domestic violence shouldn’t be afraid to let police know.
“They can say, 'I think something's going on. Can you please come check?'” Ertel said. “If you're wrong, great, you're wrong. If you're right, you may have saved someone's life.”
Ertel said after legislation last year, all police agencies in the state are being trained in what is known as the Lethality Assessment Protocol — or "LAP" — to see signs of domestic violence and take action. The St. George Police Department was among the first agencies in the state to institute the protocol before the legislation was enacted.
“It's a series of 11 questions, and answering yes to one of the first three questions is an immediate referral to the Dove Center,” Ertel said. “So the first three questions are: Has your partner ever used a weapon against you? The second question is: Has your partner ever threatened to kill you or your children? And the third question is: Do you think that your partner might try to kill you? So if they answer yes to any of those, that's an immediate referral.”
Sampson is being held without bail at Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane while St. George Police say they are trying to get more answers in the case. They are asking anyone with more information on the case to call the department's tip line at 435-627-4338.
