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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man on the run from police for nine months for allegedly killing an unarmed elderly West Valley man whom he had never met, has been captured.
West Valley police confirmed that Noel Munoz Lopez, 34, of Kearns, has been arrested in Mexico.
Farrell Bartschi, 82, was shot and killed in front of a residence near 3800 South and 4200 West on Oct. 4. Lopez, who was believed to be in the area at the time of the shooting, was named a person of interest in the killing and a reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. Police later confirmed that criminal charges had been filed against Lopez and a warrant was issued for his arrest. But that warrant and charges were sealed in court and police declined to say what charges had been filed.
On Friday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced that Lopez has been charged with murder, a first-degree felony; possession of a weapon by restricted person, a second-degree felony; and two counts of discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony. The charges were filed on Oct. 28.
According to newly unsealed charging documents, Bartschi was out on his morning walk when Lopez, standing outside a residence near 4200 West and 3800 South, fired three shots at him about 7:10 a.m. One of those shots struck Bartschi. Prosecutors say Bartschi was a "total stranger" to Lopez.
Lopez's relatives, who lived in the house, came outside and confronted Lopez about the shooting and attempted to perform life-saving efforts on Bartschi, the charges state. Bartschi died at the scene and Lopez immediately fled the area. The charging documents do not give a possible motive as to why Lopez shot Bartschi.
"West Valley Police Department did incredible work on this case and they deserve to be be commended. This was not an easy case to put together," District Attorney Sim Gill said in a prepared statement on Friday. "This is the first step toward helping the victims and community find a measure of justice."
Lopez was convicted in 2007 of attempted murder and three counts of aggravated assault, according to court records. In that case, Lopez shot another man outside a Salt Lake 7-Eleven store, leaving the victim paralyzed. He was sentenced to four consecutive terms of two to 20 years in the Utah State Prison. He was paroled in March 2021, but then violated the conditions of his parole, according to court records.
