A man was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of murder after he reported that he had killed a 25-year-old woman.
According to a probable cause statement, Ethan Hunsaker, 24, told police he met the victim, a connection from the dating app Tinder, late on Saturday night. At 3:19 a.m. Sunday, Hunsaker called 911 to report that he had killed someone inside a home near 1300 N. Reid Ave. in Layton, according to a news release from Layton Police Department. Officers found a woman lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds to her torso. First responders tried to resuscitate her, but she died at the scene.
Layton police on Monday identified the woman as Ashlyn Black, 25, of Layton.
Hunsaker told police he started communicating with Black at about 9 p.m. on Saturday, the probable cause statement said. He picked her up from her home before taking her to a bar, after which they went to his home. Hunsaker said the date was normal, and there was not an argument that led to him trying to choke her to death, before he grabbed a knife and started stabbing the woman.
Upon calling 911 to report what he said he’d done, Hunsaker asked police to shoot him, authorities say. He reportedly later said he’d had daily suicidal and homicidal thoughts.
Hunsaker was booked into Davis County Jail for investigation of one count of murder.
On Monday, Black’s family issued a statement calling the crime “as senseless as it was evil,” and asked for privacy “as we mourn our loss.”
“A monster has taken away the life of our little girl,” the family wrote. “Our hearts are broken and our lives are forever changed due to the despicable acts of another person. In just a few senseless and selfish minutes, a life of an amazing, fun loving young woman was taken, one who had a passion for being the voice of those who could not speak out for themselves. And a gift for working with those who have special needs. The lives of her friends and family are permanently altered. No time can fill the emptiness we feel, and the hole it has left in our hearts.”
Layton police are asking for further information; anyone with that information can call the police department at 801-497-8300.