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SALT LAKE CITY — Investigators say a West Jordan man accused of running over and killing his wife in the Salt Lake City International Airport's short-term parking structure had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit and had been arguing loudly with her prior to the incident.
Shawn Christopher Sturgeon, 38, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with manslaughter, or, in the alternative, automobile homicide, both are second-degree felonies; and domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony.
On April 4, Sturgeon, his wife Charlotte Sturgeon, 29, and their young child had returned to Salt Lake City after being on vacation. According to witnesses and video from airport security cameras, "Sturgeon was angry with Charlotte and yelling at her both inside and outside the terminal," charging documents state.
The arguing continued as the couple walked to their SUV in the parking structure.
"(He) argued with his wife so loudly and viciously that it made several people in the area uncomfortable enough to stay and observe the ultimately fatal conclusion to this argument," the charges state.
One witness told police he heard the couple yelling at each other "prior to observing the vehicle on top of Charlotte and rolling off her."
That witness told Sturgeon not to go anywhere and that he was recording video of the incident, charging documents state. Another witness told police that after Charlotte Sturgeon was run over, Shawn Sturgeon got out of his car and asked his wife why she did that.
"Now I have to take you the emergency room," Sturgeon said before he "aggressively picked her up and pushed her toward the front passenger seat," the charging documents allege.
In surveillance video, after putting their child in the back of their SUV, Shawn Sturgeon is seen getting into the driver's seat and his wife got out of the front passenger seat and opened the rear passenger door. Police say Sturgeon then began to back up the vehicle.
"He abruptly sped up and then stopped the car. Charlotte lost her balance during this abrupt movement. The door to the vehicle was still open. Within seconds, Sturgeon again hit the accelerator and quickly moved backwards. Charlotte's legs could be seen flailing about as Sturgeon continued to reverse," the charges say.
Charlotte Sturgeon was dragged and then fell under the vehicle. Shawn Sturgeon then put the SUV in drive and "accelerated quickly forward, and pushed the accelerator and quickly over Charlotte's body with the right rear passenger tire," according to the charges.
Sturgeon drove with his wife to the payment booths that vehicles pass through to leave the airport. That's where emergency crews were dispatched and Charlotte Sturgeon was picked up and taken to a local hospital where she died a short time later from critical internal injuries.
As Shawn Sturgeon was being transported to the police department, he "made several spontaneous utterances, including, 'I ran my wife over,' 'I killed my wife,' and 'I accidentally ran her over,'" the charges state.
Sturgeon's blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.13%.
