Man dies following assault by girlfriend's brother, police say


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HERRIMAN — A Herriman man died Saturday, hours after being hospitalized in critical condition following a fight with his girlfriend's brother.

Officers were called about 1 a.m. to a "fight in progress" in the 5900 West block of Moon Shadow Drive in Herriman. "When officers arrived, they could see a man lying in the road near the driveway," said Unified police detective Jared Richardson.

A neighbor was performing CPR on the 25-year-old victim, later identified by police as Blake Burningham. Officers took over the CPR until paramedics arrived and transported him to Riverton Hospital, police said.

Burningham was then flown by medical helicopter to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition, where he died Saturday evening.

Detectives learned that Burningham and his girlfriend, whose name has not been released, had been involved in a verbal fight that escalated into a physical assault, Richardson said. At some point, the woman called her brother, who lives in a different city, and he picked her up at a school near the Herriman home.

"Sometime later, he came back to the Herriman residence with her," the detective said. The brother, Cole Pedersen, said he decided to go back because he wanted to talk to the boyfriend, but they began to argue and push each other, a Salt Lake County Jail report states.

"Cole said he punched the victim on the left side of his face. Cole said the victim fell to the ground and he punched the victim a second time on the left side of the face," the report states. "Cole said the victim never punched him."

Burningham's brother grabbed Pedersen and pulled him away from the unconscious man, police said.

Burningham suffered "multiple facial fractures" and went into cardiac arrest. Prior to his death, Burningham was on life support, according to the report.

Richardson said doctors and medical staff will help detectives determine the extent of the injuries suffered in the fight and from the fall as they investigate the case.

Police arrested Pedersen, 24, and booked him into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

With Burningham's death, new charges will be screened by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, according to Unified police.

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