- Bentley Estelivin Scow, 46, is charged with aggravated murder and other felonies.
- The victim, identified by initials R.H., was found wrapped in a blanket and shower curtain.
- Scow allegedly attempted to dispose of the victim's body.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City man is accused of engaging "in a long and violent assault of an intimate partner," killing him, and then trying to dispose of his body, according to prosecutors.
Bentley Estelivin Scow, 46, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and abuse or desecration of a dead body, a third-degree felony.
On May 25, about 6:40 a.m., the body of a man was found at 1723 S. 300 East next to a cart that was on its side. A blanket appeared to be wrapped around the victim.
"The body was that of an older male who had black duct tape wrapped completely around his face. There was a black strap wrapped around his neck and blood coming from the back of his head. The male's hands were bound behind his back with black tape. A white mattress protector-type blanket was wrapped around the body, and a shower curtain was wrapped around the cart," according to charging documents.
Two garbage bags, an extension cord and a metal can were also found near the body or wrapped around the cart, the charges state. Witnesses told police that another man had been pushing the shopping cart when it tipped over, the charges state.
"The male let out some expletives and immediately started running," according to the charges.
Because of injuries to the man's face, the Utah Statewide Information and Analysis Center was used to identify him. Court documents only identify the victim by his initials, R.H. Detectives determined that R.H.'s roommate, Scow, had possibly overdosed in their apartment on May 3 and was arrested in a separate shoplifting incident on May 26, a day after the killing, the charges state.
Scow and the victim's apartment was searched.
"Of note, in the bathroom was a multicolored beach towel draped over the edge of the bathtub with pieces of torn plastic trash bags on the floor. The shower curtain was missing with the shower curtain rings still attached to the rod. In the bedroom, half of the bed frame was folded and stacked on top of the other half. The bare mattress was propped up in front of the window by an overturned chair. The sheets, pillows and other bedding material were piled up on the floor," according to charging documents.
"Each of the rooms inside the apartment had indications of possible struggle," the charges state.
A witness told investigators that on May 25, Scow went to his apartment with the shopping cart and claimed that he had "beat his roommate up." The witness lifted the blanket over the cart and "observed what looked like a body, including a visible foot. (He) told Scow to leave and take it elsewhere," according to the charges.
After he was arrested, Scow "stated that he found paperwork showing that R.H. had been putting money on another male's jail account, which upset him. Scow admitted that in the living room, he punched R.H. three times in the face really hard, applied a chokehold from behind, and wrapped a surge protector extension cord around R.H.'s neck. Scow stated that he duct taped R.H.'s face, dragged him from the living room to the bedroom using the cord, continued choking R.H., and then covered him with laundry detergent, lemon-scented products, and multiple blankets before leaving the apartment," according to the charges.
Scow then allegedly tried to put the victim's boy in a dumpster, police said.
"(He) engaged in a long and violent assault of an intimate partner and then attempted to hide the body," the charges state.
