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MILLCREEK — A man arrested over the weekend and accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend and leaving her body near a dumpster has a long history of violence, including against the same woman.
Fred Jason Edwards, 46, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Saturday for investigation of murder, obstructing justice and abuse of a dead body.
Just before 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the body of Esperanza Chavez, 25, was found near a dumpster at 3994 S. 300 West in Millcreek.
"She was on the ground leaning against the dumpster. She was deceased with an apparent gunshot wound to the head," according to a police booking affidavit.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video from the area that they say recorded Edwards driving up about 12:20 a.m. and pulling Chavez's body out of the passenger seat.
"He attempts twice to put her in the dumpster with no success. He then drops her on the north side of the dumpster, on the ground. The truck then leaves," the affidavit says.
Using the video, Unified police were able to get a license plate number and identify Edwards as the suspect. Investigators said they also learned that Edwards was trying to have himself admitted to the psychiatric unit at University of Utah Hospital.
"Detectives located Fred Edwards at the U. emergency department waiting room. Fred Edwards was taken into custody," according to the affidavit, even though he denied having anything to do with Chavez's death. "After he was told that we had video surveillance of him dumping her body from his truck, he still denied involvement."
Edwards is a documented gang member who "has a violent criminal history to include many assaults, mayhem, resisting arrest, threats, retaliation against a witness and escape from custody," according to police.
Edwards is already facing charges in 3rd District Court of attempted mayhem and assault against the same victim. In October, Edwards and Chavez were arguing and Edwards "repeatedly punched her while he was driving" and after they stopped he "grabbed Esperanza by the back of the head and slammed it against the steering wheel. Esperanza said that Edwards grabbed her face and wrapped his fingers around her right eye socket. Esperanza stated that she felt like Edwards was trying to grab onto her eyeball and take it out," according to charging documents. Edwards allegedly continued to assault Chavez after getting out of the vehicle.
In 2020, police were called to a West Valley convenience store where another woman ran inside with a bloody mouth screaming for someone to call 911 because Edwards was going to kill her, charging documents state.
The woman said Edwards started punching her while they were driving and he told her to call her mother "because it was the last time she was going to speak to her," the charges say. The woman jumped out of the moving vehicle and ran to the store for help.
Edwards was originally charged in that case with kidnapping, but pleaded guilty to an amended charge of assault, a class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to comply with the terms set "in federal mental health court."
In 2017, Edwards was convicted in two federal cases for drug possession and assault on a federal officer, court records state. He was sentenced to serve just under three years in federal prison. In 2021 he was released from federal prison to the Salt Lake County Jail's CORE program, or Co-occurring Re-entry & Empowerment, which is designed to help people with substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Court records show Edwards' felony convictions in Utah date back to 1994.
'Esperanza was very strong'
Chavez's mother is speaking out about the domestic abuse she says her daughter suffered.
"Esperanza was very strong; for her to allow this to happen to her shocks me, but no woman allows this," Jontue Chavez said.
To family and friends, Esperanza Chavez was known as "Espie." Her mother is processing the horrific events that she says led to her death.
"This is the worst week of my life; it will be something that I think of every day and I'm going to miss her every day," Jontue Chavez said.
According to Jontue Chavez, her daughter left Edwards two weeks ago, after he allegedly stabbed her in the arm.
Jontue Chavez said Espie Chavez got a protective order against Edwards, but he allegedly continued to contact her, so family members were helping her move out of state. Espie Chavez was planning to leave Sunday, but Friday night Edwards showed up at her aunt's house, Jontue Chavez said.
According to Jontue Chavez, family members heard Edwards' truck speed away around midnight.
She expressed sadness and disbelief that her daughter's body was left by a trash can.
Jontue Chavez said that as her daughter showed signs she was experiencing domestic violence, she had called police and tried to get her daughter help. But she says she was told that without her daughter's cooperation, police could do little.
"I just think domestic violence (victims) need more options and more support. I know that some things have improved but if (victims) are so scared to report, there's got to be a way that people can report on their behalf and still make something happen," she said.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
