Utah man murdered wife while driving truck, police say

A woman who investigators initially thought committed suicide was actually murdered by her husband, police now say.

Shannon Lopez, 32, died Dec. 27 while riding in a Dodge pickup driven by her husband Komasquin Lopez, 43.

The truck was near the intersection of State Street and 7800 South in Midvale when it crashed. When police arrived, they learned someone had fired a gun in the truck, killing Shannon Lopez.

Investigators initially described the woman's death as a suicide.

However, Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal reported Thursday that Komasquin Lopez is now suspected of killing his wife.

An arrest report reveals that as investigators looked into the killing they discovered a series of inconsistencies. During initial interviews, the report states, Lopez told police he never saw the gun and never heard it go off. Instead, he reportedly said, he only heard glass breaking. The report adds that police never found any broken glass, though they did discover a Glock handgun on the truck's floor — which Lopez said he always kept in the car.

The report goes on to say that the shot hit Shannon Lopez directly above her left ear canal. The gun also appeared to have been fired while pressed against the woman's skin. But the report notes that Shannon Lopez was right-handed, making her husband's story of a suicide unlikely.

Komasquin Lopez was arrested and charged Thursday with one count of murder, a first-degree felony. His bail was set at $1,000,000.

jdalrymple@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jimmycdii