Suspect in death of Pleasant Grove woman identified as her biological son
May 20, 2022, 8:17 AM | Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 11:33 am
A Pleasant Grove police vehicle is pictured on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Photo credit: Scott G Winterton/Deseret News.
PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — The Pleasant Grove Police Department said it has a 21-year-old man, identified as Gage Dinehart, in custody after his 40-year-old mother was found dead Friday morning.
The PGPD said in a Facebook post that it responded to the area of 200 West 200 North in Pleasant Grove at 12:00 a.m. after receiving reports of gunshots.
Officers found an SUV in the roadway. Laying next to it was the deceased victim, the 40-year-old woman.
Police reported she had been shot to death.
Gage Dinehart admits guilt to officers, EMTs
Around the same time, police responded to reports of a suspicious man in the cemetery near 500 North 100 East.
Officers made contact with the man and identified him as the 21-year-old son of the victim.
The PGPD said the man initially admitted to his involvement in a crime, but did not specify what he admitted to. Paramedics called police after their encounter with the suspect. EMTs said he was acting erratic.
Victim’s husband says Dinehart was angry, demanding money from his mother
The PGPD said Dinehart and his mother had reportedly been arguing early in the day. Police also found a handgun and clothing near the man.
Police took the 21-year-old man into custody. The PGPD says charges include investigation of murder and obstruction of justice in the death of his biological mother.
Video from nearby car shows suspect, victim moments before the shooting
According to the probable cause statement, the victim’s husband, who also lives at 242 West 200 North, told investigators that the suspect was in the apartment unit with the victim and her husband that night, demanding money from his mother.
The husband told investigators that the victim was leaving for the bank and had planned to drop Gage Dinehart back off at the bar.
The report states that a camera on one of two vehicles nearby shows the suspect and victim exiting the home on the way toward the victim’s vehicle, a blue Tahoe.
A witness, a neighbor, heard two shots fired, telling police he also saw sparks from the gun, then watched the male running away from the scene.
