A Utah man was sentenced to prison Wednesday for the murder of his wife, Utahna Halona Erickson, on Oct. 28, 2020, according to a news release from the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office.
Third District Judge Richard McKelvie sentenced John Weston Erickson Jr. to 15 years to life in prison for the fatal stabbing of Halona Erickson, whom he attacked in front of their two children at their Midvale home, according to charging documents.
The two children ran to a neighbor’s house and said their father was hurting their mother, police said. First responders declared Halona Erickson dead at the scene.
John Erickson told authorities that he just “snapped,” the release said.
Michael Halona, a brother of Utahna Halona Erickson, said in a statement through the nonprofit Utah Homicide Survivors on Thursday that Erickson’s sentencing was “the end of a nightmare from which we will truly never wake up.“
“We will never fully recover, but we hope that now we can begin to move forward in a way that would honor Utahna’s memory and start the healing process,” he said.
“Utahna died at the hands of someone who should have been her protector,” Halona continued. “She died trying to save him from himself. Her children are permanently scarred.”
Halona called John Erickson a “monster” who “does not care for anyone but himself,” but he said the Halona family was at peace with the outcome of the case.
“During sentencing the courtroom was full of people that loved Utahna and paid tribute to her life and devotion to her family,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill in a statement. “We mourn the loss of Utahna and what her children have lost because of this vicious murder.”
Editor’s note • Those who are experiencing intimate partner violence, or know someone who is, are urged to call the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line, 1-800-897-LINK (5465), or Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Help Line at 801-736-4356 (English) or 801-924-0860 (Español).
