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SPANISH FORK — Family and friends are sharing memories of two men suspected of being killed by the same man in separate attacks.
Ryan Hooley, 49, was found dead in Spanish Fork on July 8, and the next day police responded to an unprovoked attack in Ogden where they found Tyler Belinti, 23, beaten and hanging from gym equipment. Belinti died July 12.
Hooley's loved ones gathered Tuesday for a vigil at a Spanish Fork park.
"It's just something you can't fathom at first, because you're thinking that it doesn't happen, it doesn't exist," said Hooley's first cousin Archie Williams about the news of Hooley's death. "Then it hits."
Williams said Hooley was fun, outgoing, easy to talk to and friendly and remembered the times they would talk at Hooley's mom's house.
"He didn't really care anything that you've accomplished or done, he just liked people," Williams said.
In Arizona, Sheena Belinti said her "baby brother" Tyler Belinti moved to Clearfield to attend Job Corps and study machining.
"We've always been close, him and I," Sheena Belinti said. "He will be missed."
Even the eight-hour drive couldn't separate the family. Sheena Belinti said whenever her brother needed something, his parents and siblings would make the drive from their Navajo Nation hometown to help.
Friends from his time in Utah said that like his family, Tyler Belinti was always willing to help.
"Tyler was one of the few people who would offer help before I would even ask," said one of his classmates, Leanette Alvarez. "We lost a really good person, and this didn't need to happen."
As the Belinti and Hooley families mourn, Williams said people should be kind and loving to their family and friends. "You don't know when your time's coming."
The Belinti family has set up a GoFundMe* to help with expenses.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
Contributing: Mike Anderson, Adam Sotelo
