A California man was arrested and charged with murder in connection to a brutal attack at a Midvale massage that left one woman dead in early January.
Steven Brinkerhoff, 39, faces one count of first-degree felony murder for the death of 45-year-old Yuping Jiao, an immigrant from China.
Brinkerhoff does not live in Utah and has a residence in Redondo Beach, California. He was arrested outside of a massage parlor in California on January 19.
Calling the crime “very traumatic for everybody involved,” Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said she hopes the arrest brings some sort of relief to the community.
“These types of cases take a toll on our community,” she said.
On January 4, Jiao was found dead at A+ Massage in Midvale, located at 7444 South State Street.
Charging documents detail the crime scene, with officers discovering Jiao dead with multiple wounds along her body.
The Utah State Office of the Medical Examiner found 56 stab wounds on Jiao’s body as well as slice marks on her fingers, prick marks on her ankles and a small chunk of skin that had been removed, documents state.