CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
Community to host candlelight vigil for homicide victim
Jan 20, 2019, 7:28 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — Friends and family of 40-year-old David Stokoe will gather Monday evening to mourn Stokoe’s death in a recent homicide.
According to Salt Lake City police, Stokoe, a real estate agent, may have been fatally shot while trying to evict tenants from apartment over a rent dispute. They say Stokoe’s body was found Friday in a hidden area of the apartment he owned and his car was found the next day in West Valley City.
“This situation is tragic beyond words,” the Stokoe family wrote in an emailed statement to KSL. “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Dave.”
Police have arrested Manuel Velasquez on suspicion of murder and other felony charges. Velasquez’s acquaintances Diana Hernandez and Jessica Miller were also arrested for obstruction of justice.
A candlelight vigil will be held at 5:30 P.M. Monday at 9272 S 700 E in Sandy.
“We are remembering Dave the way he deserves to be remembered, as a hero and champion,” the Stokoe family wrote. “We know we will see him again someday, and that families are forever. We are choosing to focus on the love we feel from everyone, and the love we feel for Dave, rather than resentment surrounding the circumstances of his death.”
A GoFundMe account has been set up to support Stokoe’s wife, Nikki Stokoe, and their four children. You can donate here.
