Real estate agent fatally shot while trying to evict tenants

SALT LAKE CITY (KRON) – A Utah real estate agent was shot and killed last week by the tenants he was trying to evict. 

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, David Stokoe had gone to the apartment Thursday after letting his renters know they needed to be out by 6 p.m. 

His body was found inside a crawl space in the apartment the next day, the publication reported. 

According to authorities, one of the suspects, Manuel Velasquez, told police he got into a fight with Stokoe because he had kicked the door and put him into a “very serious” chokehold, court documents obtained by the publication showed. 

Velasquez then told police he grabbed a gun inside the fannypack he was wearing and shot Stokoe multiple times. 

The two other suspects, 38-year-old Jessica Miller and 30-year-old Diana Hernandez, allegedly cleaned the apartment and helped hide Stokoe’s body. 

All three suspects have been booked in Salt Lake County Jail. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Stokoe’s wife Nikki and the couple’s four young children.