(Oscar Cuevas-Landa, courtesy Davis County Jail)
DAVIS COUNTY – A man accused of stabbing a woman while she was driving on I-15 and pushing her out of the car is booked in connection with her murder. Investigators say they still have a lot of questions they need to be answered.
Police affidavits say it appears the suspect, Oscar Cuevas-Landa, didn’t know the woman he was getting a ride from. He reportedly told police he was being taken to West Valley City, but investigators say the woman’s body was found in the northbound lanes of I-15 Sunday night.
Sometime during that trip, investigators say the two got into some sort of argument, possibly because the victim “looked at him funny,” according to the affidavit. That’s when Landa allegedly attacked.
Utah Highway Patrol Lieutenant Nick Street says, “Officers read this individual his Miranda rights. Post [Miranda] rights, he confessed to the crime of stabbing this young girl and pushing her out of the car.”
After pushing the woman out of the car at freeway speeds, Landa reportedly took control of the vehicle and pulled over to the right shoulder where he abandoned it. Officers and medics reportedly saw Landa walking with blood on his arms and pants.
Investigators believe Landa may have been high on LSD and smoking marijuana before the attack.
Street says, “From my understanding, this individual had utilized some narcotics which made the investigation, initially, a little tricky.”
Now, police say they have a lot of forensic work left to do. Street says they still need to figure out if the victim was a stranger to Landa, or if they already have some sort of relationship. Plus, they want to pinpoint the exact cause of death since they’re not sure if she died from the stabbing or from being forced out of a car moving at a high rate of speed.
“They’ve already made headway in getting warrants to really look deep into the car and hopefully find the weapon,” Street says.
Landa was booked into the Davis County Jail on investigation of murder and aggravated assault resulting in serious injury.
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