Man arrested in Riverdale Amber Alert has history of domestic violence

SALT LAKE CITY — A dramatic series of events on Monday led to the death of a woman and an Amber Alert, which was active for approximately four hours before two children were found with the suspected kidnapper, their father.

After he was questioned, Ricardo Trujillo Rojel, 29, was booked into the Weber County Jail for investigation of aggravated murder and aggravated arson, both first-degree felony charges, according to the police booking affidavit.

Trujillo has a long history of domestic violence arrests.

The alleged homicide

Just before 2:30 p.m. on Monday, first responders arrived at the scene of a fire near 5100 South and 1050 West in Riverdale.

Officers arrived to find a trailer filled with smoke and the door ajar. They called out for anyone inside, and nobody responded. As they entered, they found a woman with severe burn marks on her body. She was pulled out of the trailer and onto the porch.

"When the officer moved the victim, he observed a puncture wound to her neck which appeared to be from a sharp object. It was determined the death was a homicide," the affidavit stated.

Investigators learned an accelerant caused the fire, and a gas can was located inside the trailer.

According to the affidavit, a pair of blue jeans with blood on them was also found inside the trailer.

After detectives identified the woman, they learned she had two children. Officials spoke with the woman's parents, who said she and her partner, Trujillo, were moving out of the trailer and headed to Roy that day.

According to the affidavit, the victim, Trujillo, and the two children were all last seen inside the trailer together.

The woman's mother additionally told officers she had been to the bank with her daughter hours earlier, around noon. They returned to the trailer because Trujillo had called her, telling her to come back.

"The victim's mother stated that the victim drove back home after the phone call with Ricardo," the affidavit stated. "The mother did not speak to the victim again."

Neighbors told officers they saw the two of them on the porch that morning, and another told officers she heard a woman scream sometime before they arrived.

Amber Alert

At 5:14 p.m., an Amber Alert was issued across Utah, giving a brief description of the children and Trujillo. The Amber Alert also described Trujillo's truck.

The truck's license plate was picked up on a reader in Spanish Fork just after 3 p.m. A citizen also called to report they saw the truck parked in a canyon, and they saw a man walking with two young children. Officials later said they were walking up the left fork of Hobble Creek Canyon.

Officers found Trujillo and the children there. He was arrested after allegedly resisting and assaulting an officer. Court documents noted he was found over an hour away from the children's home, and that blood was found inside the truck.

After his arrest, Trujillo remained uncooperative, court documents said, and he continued to physically resist deputies at the Weber County Jail.

"Ricardo's behavior on this date was indicative of recent criminal conduct, and his behavior exhibited signs as if he was trying to flee and destroy evidence," the affidavit stated.

Criminal history

Past court documents for Trujillo show he faced third-degree felony charges of aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping in 2021, after the woman in this case told police she "was asleep in their residence and awoke to (Trujillo) strangling her," while she was pregnant with his child.

In that case, she told police she struggled to breathe as he choked her and accused her of being unfaithful, according to court documents.

"(Trujillo) then punched (the victim) in the nose which caused it to bleed," court documents state. "(He) refused to let (the victim) leave the bedroom, and he threw her phone which caused the screen to shatter."

The woman eventually begged him to let her use the restroom, and when he finally agreed, she fled and hid, police said.

After police arrived, Trujillo admitted to punching her in the face during the incident, court records state.

In September 2021, Trujillo was sentenced to 180 days of jail for assault, a class A misdemeanor — all other charges were dismissed with prejudice.

However, court documents stated that the jail time was suspended, and Trujillo would be placed on probation instead. He was prohibited from contacting the woman, but was allowed to attend the "birth of child."

In January, Trujillo was booked on domestic violence charges again — this time in front of the children. Court documents said he broke through her bedroom window and entered the residence after being let in by his sister who was inside.

Court documents say he caused damage to multiple picture frames by tearing them off the wall, and scattered other household items throughout the kitchen and on the floor. He left the residence, and police were called.

He was located within the trailer park with crystal meth on his person, documents said. The case was ongoing as of Monday.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, Trujillo's history highlights a red flag, said a domestic violence expert.

"If you are wanting to strangle someone, you are possibly looking them in the eye, you are seeing them gasp for breath, and you were continuing this behavior," said Kimmi Wolf, with Utah's Domestic Violence Coalition. "That is a level of violent intimacy that is such a strong indicator of future harm and possibly lethality."

With strangulation being a top predictor of future homicide, Wolf said it was incredibly disappointing that Utah lawmakers chose not to fund strangulation exams for victims and survivors during this year's legislative session.

"I can't understand why. It's heartbreaking," said Wolf, "both in terms of myself as an individual and as a professional in this field."

The final budget did not include $260,000 for strangulation exams that the coalition was hoping for, despite the Criminal Justice budget subcommittee prioritizing the request and finding funding for it through other agency savings. The actual need of the program is estimated to be closer to $400,000.

When asked about why the exams were not being funded, lawmakers signaled that might change.

"There's a little money we're still working with," said Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton. "We're still massaging."

That massaging did not lead to funding for the specialized exams that are needed, not only to collect vital evidence to prosecute some of Utah's most violent perpetrators, but also to provide medical care to victims.

Wolf said organizations like UDVC are now fundraising to try to meet this critical need in the state.

"I just can't stress that the option of not funding this, not having these exams available to victims, it's just not an option," said Wolf.

Domestic violence resources

If you or someone you know is going through abuse, help is available.

• The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).
• Resources are also available online at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.
• YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
• Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

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