St. George man sentenced for murdering his wife has 'shocking lack of remorse,' judge says

ST. GEORGE — A judge said a St. George man found guilty of murdering his wife showed a "complete and total and shocking lack of remorse" and "inexplicably characterized himself as a victim."

"Mr. Sampson lives in a world of delusion, denial, self-absorption and victimhood," 5th District Judge Eric Gentry said Monday of Eric Sampson.

He said Sampson "has the audacity to pretend to speak for the real victim in this case, expressing his belief that (his wife) wouldn't have wanted this for the family," referring to the trial and the investigation of "her own murder."

Maximum sentence

Niki Ahlquist Sampson, 47, was found lifeless on a bed in their St. George home on Sept. 1, 2024, after a 911 call reporting domestic violence and a woman with bruises "all over." Months before her death, she called police and told them her husband "was coming after her," later reporting he had pinned her down on their bed and was pulling her hair and then followed her and threw her to the ground in the backyard after she broke free, court documents state.

A jury found Sampson, 51, guilty of murder on Feb. 6. Family members and prosecutors asked for the maximum possible sentence, and Gentry agreed, saying it is his "strongest recommendation" that Sampson serve the maximum sentence possible.

The judge ordered him to serve a term of 15 years to life in prison for murder, a first-degree felony; one year for drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; and 90 days for intoxication, a class C misdemeanor. He ordered those sentences to run consecutively.

He also ordered Sampson not to have any contact with his adult children.

Sampson called his wife's death a tragedy and said he is devastated that she is gone. He said he "just wanted to know how she died."

"I was not looking to blame anybody. I cared enough for her. I truly wanted to know what happened to her," he said.

Sampson pointed to other health issues with his wife's liver and not the 47 bruises or lack of oxygen that jurors found caused her death.

"I'm not blaming anyone for Nikki's passing. She was sick. I knew it. She knew it. We didn't know it was grave, but I am responsible for not realizing what was going on in her body," he said.

'He wanted my mother dead'

Shaley Encinias said she moved her family into her parents' home because she was worried about her mother's safety, and she can still hear the frequent yelling. She said moving away to protect her children a few months before her mom's death was "the hardest decision."

Encinias said she has nightmares thinking about what her mother endured and about how she may have been able to save her.

"He didn't just take away my mom, but a grandma for my children, and I did not get to say goodbye to her," she said.

Encinias expressed no doubts that her father killed her mother, saying she did not need a report from a medical examiner or expert witness testimony.

"He knew exactly what he was doing on Sept. 1. He wanted my mother dead, and he wanted to gain her life insurance. He watched my mother struggle and fight, and he looked directly into her eyes as he killed her," she said.

Her husband, Torrey Encinias, said his father-in-law had given him advice about marriage, but the most important thing he learned from him was how not to act.

"Every single day my children wake up without their grandma is a consequence of what he did. Every birthday she will not attend. Every graduation she will never see, every milestone she will never celebrate, and every moment of love and guidance that they will never receive," he said.

Brady Sampson said he was just 22 when he "lost both parents in the most unimaginable way." He called himself a mama's boy, and said the impact of her loss "is unbearable," adding that ordinary moments like wanting to share good news are now painful as neither of his parents are there.

He got emotional as he talked about how he will not get to dance with his mother at his wedding, and his children will not get to know their grandmother.

"Every milestone from this point forward will carry a shadow of her absence," Brady Sampson said.

'Only person who loved him was the person he killed'

Alexander Sampson also said his mom taught him about kindness and love and made sure her children knew they were loved.

"Your lack of accountability and responsibility for your actions has made this even harder for me and for our family," he told his father. "What happened was not an accident that came out of nowhere. It was the result of years of violence and choices that you continued to make."

Mindy Pratt said her sister was her closest friend. She said Niki Sampson lived in a prison "built from fear, control, humiliation and abuse" throughout her marriage. After Eric Sampson went to prison for fraud, she said his wife was the only person who still cared for him.

"The heartbreaking truth is the only person who loved him was the person he killed," Pratt said.

She said the killing was not a "momentary lapse" but the end of a lifetime of abuse.

"She loved deeply, and she gave endlessly. She deserved to live out the rest of her life surrounded by her children and her grandchildren. Instead, she died a horrific death at the hands of the person who stood at the altar and promised to love and protect her."

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