SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah jury found a 39-year-old man guilty of first-degree aggravated murder for the 2018 stabbing death of a woman over a stolen phone.
Kidus Yohannes was convicted on August 7 of fatally stabbing Candance Samples, as well as stabbing another man.
On November 7, 2018, Salt Lake City police received a call that two people had been stabbed behind a store at 477 North and 300 West. Investigators later determined that Samples had stolen Yohannes' phone while at the Marmalade Library.
Yohannes confronted Samples and a man about the phone while they were in a dumpster enclosure behind the store. That's when prosecutors said Yohannes pulled out a knife and threatened to use it if he didn't get his phone back.
Watch: Family of Candance Samples shares their grief
Witness Pamela Reese told their friend, Jeffrey Plante, at a nearby 7-11 about what was happening, and he ran to the dumpster to help.
According to Reese, Plante was attacked as soon as he climbed into the enclosure.
Samples, who received 20 stab wounds to her head, arms, and torso, died a short time after arriving at the hospital. Plante survived and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
Yohannes is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29.
