SALT LAKE CITY — A judge has sentenced Patrice Winward to 15 years to life in prison after murdering her girlfriend following an argument in 2021 in Salt Lake City.
The suspect was taken into custody in August last year after fatally shooting Nicole Carter. Carter was pronounced dead at the scene and the weapon was recovered from a nearby storm drain.
In a statement released by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Ms. Winward lied to police about leaving the scene when she left to instruct a child to conceal the handgun.
“Ms. Winward not only tried to avoid responsibility for this crime by giving her gun to someone else to hide but also by fleeing the scene shortly after police arrived," a statement by Sim Gill read in part. "We mourn the death of Ms. Carter and hope that the resolution of this case will help her loved ones begin to heal."
