A man authorities say has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old has been charged with killing another resident at an Orem group home where they were staying.
Brandon James Hooks, 38, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; and three counts of assault, class B misdemeanors.
Police were called to the group home, located at 113 E. 800 South in Orem, shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday to find the other resident, Timothy Dastrup, unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The facility serves as a care home for those with intellectual disabilities, according to a probable cause statement explaining Hooks’ arrest. The document does not name the facility.
It’s unclear if the group home is licensed; the facility’s address is not included in a Utah Department of Health and Human Services list of licensed Orem care facilities. A request for more information from DHHS was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.
Before Dastrup died, he and Hooks were making crab cakes, according to the probable cause statement. Hooks became angry when Dastrup added mayonnaise to the mixture, an employee told police.
The two men then began arguing before Hooks began physically attacking Dastrup, hitting him repeatedly and putting him in a headlock, the employee said. The staffer tried to intervene but “lacked the strength to do so,” the document states.
When the employee called a second staffer for help, the two were struck by Hooks and unable to stop the attack together, the document states.
Hooks’ focus then returned to Dastrup, with Hooks allegedly wrapping his arm around the man’s neck. A witness told police Dastrup could be heard saying, “Get off of me, I can’t breathe,” the document states.
One of the employees at the scene next tried calling the facility’s program director, who spoke to Hooks over speaker phone in an attempt to calm him down, the document states. Hooks calmed, but Dastrup did not survive the attack.
Hooks was taken into custody without incident when officers arrived. At the Orem Police Department, with his sister present, Hooks was read a juvenile version of his Miranda rights because of his limited mental capacity, authorities noted.
While Hooks was speaking with investigators, the document said, he said he got into a fight and did not know if the other person was dead.
During the interview, Hooks “mumbled a few things, then stated he got sick and tired of it and started ‘wailing on him,’” at which point his sister ended the interview, the probable cause statement notes.
Hooks was booked into the Utah County jail, where he is being held without bail. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.
— Tribune staff writer Jessica Miller contributed to this report.
