MURRAY, Utah — A Utah man is now facing attempted murder charges following him allegedly trying to stab his brother on Christmas Day. Javier Rafael Pedregon-Magana, 24, was arrested on December 26.
According to the Salt Lake County District Attorney, on December 25, a witness called 911 after seeing the victim in the case, who isn't named, get out of a black car on Interstate 15. The witness told first responders that they saw the sedan then attempt to run over the victim before speeding away.
Law enforcement arrived to find the victim with multiple lacerations and barely remaining conscious. The victim was taken to Intermountain Medical Center.
A family member told police that the victim and defendant had been celebrating Christmas together before they left to go home. That same family member then got a call from the victim at 10:35 p.m. saying that he had been stabbed by the defendant who then took his car.
The next day, Utah Highway Patrol troopers were informed that the defendant was circling the hospital in the victim's car. Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle but the suspect would flee the scene. Eventually, troopers were able to trap the car and arrest the defendant.
After being arrested, the suspect told police that he had been asked to kill his brother for $25,000 after the victim allegedly "snitched" and a hit had been put out on him.
Pedregon-Magana also told investigators that another person had been in the trunk of the vehicle as they were driving along Interstate 15. He claimed that the person while they were driving had lowered the seats from the trunk into the main part of the car and attacked the victim.
Once the victim exited the car, according to the suspect, the third person then told him to hit the victim with the car. According to the suspect, he later dropped off the individual at another location.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney filed charges against Javier Rafael Pedregon-Magana on Monday. He faces one count of attempted murder and one count of failure to respond to an officer's signal to stop.
“We appreciate the witness who saw the survivor of this violent crime on the side of the road and reported it to law enforcement to ensure that justice could be served. It is not only the obligation of law enforcement to help stop crime, but it is also the responsibility of everyone in our community,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.”
