University of Utah resident doctor killed in murder-suicide
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Dr. Sara Hawley, 27, a family medicine resident at the University of Utah, died after she was killed in what police call a murder/suicide incident.
Police said the suspect was Trevor Geddes, Hawley’s long-time boyfriend whom she lived with in Sugar House near 1800 East Ramona St.
Police found them dead in the house after a concerned neighbor called for help on Sunday night at around 8 p.m.
In a statement, the University of Utah said Hawley was a resident doctor focusing on Family and Preventive Medicine.
“Dr. Hawley came to the University of Utah Health from UC San Francisco to continue her passion of providing care to women and children in underserved communities,” said Kolawole Okuyemi, Chair, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine.
Sgt. Brandon Shearer with the Salt Lake Police Department said a neighbor, who lived in the basement of the same house as the deceased couple, heard commotion and screaming on Sunday night and called police.
“They heard yelling and thought it could be a possible burglary or home invasion robbery,” said Shearer.
Police showed up and found Hawley and Geddes dead.
Shearer said a weapon was involved but would not say whether it was a gun.
Many neighbors said they did not know the couple who moved from out-of-state as they’d only recently moved into their rental house on Ramona Ave.
Neighbors Emily and Daryl “Sam” Samuel, who lived across the street said they welcomed the couple to the neighborhood when they moved in and nothing seemed out of sorts.
Trevor they said, was up early for work every morning and was diligent about mowing the lawn.
Jenn Oxborrow, Executive Director of the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition said in Utah, 42 percent of homicides are cases of domestic violence – that’s compared to 30 percent nationally.
She said in Utah most often, these deaths involve a man using a gun to kill his wife, girlfriend or domestic partner.
For a woman who lives in a home with a firearm, the risk of death goes up 500 percent, she said.
This year, Oxborrow is encouraged to see Utah lawmakers reacting to the high number of domestic violence deaths.
There are about 10 bills so far that attempt to address the problem.
Representative Steven Handy is sponsoring a so-called “Red Flag” bill which would allow family members of a suicidal or dangerous person to petition the court to temporarily remove that person’s firearms.
Handy said the bill is intended to do something about the state’s high rate of suicides of which 85 percent involve firearms. He said it would help victims of domestic violence too who could be harmed by a suicidal partner.
Thirteen states have passed such laws already, according to Handy.
Below is the full statement from The University of Utah:
Today, University of Utah mourns the tragic loss of one of our bright young family medicine residents, Sarah Hawley, MD. Dr. Hawley was a first-year resident who was focusing on continuing her studies in Family & Preventive Medicine.
“Dr. Hawley came to University of Utah Health from UC San Francisco to continue her passion of providing care to women and children in underserved communities, said Kolawole Okuyemi, MD, MPH, chair, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine. “Her adventurous spirit and love of learning will be missed by all those who knew her.”
“Our thoughts are with Dr. Hawley’s family, friends and co-workers, as well as all those in our community who are impacted by this senseless act of violence,” stated Michael Good, MD, CEO, University of Utah Health and Dean, University of Utah School of Medicine. “Her colleagues have shared Dr. Hawley always did a great job of connecting with her patients and understanding where they were coming from. She treated the whole person, and patients were always appreciative of her approach. She was a promising young physician, and we mourn her loss and extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends.”
Brian Vukelic, MD, who was Dr. Hawley’s residency advisor, stated, “Sarah made it a priority to stay in touch with her family, constantly talking about them and always mentioning her love of family. At the same time, she was excited about the opportunities Utah offered to her, particularly the ability to spend time doing all the outdoor activities she loved so much. Sarah was friendly, fantastic, and hardworking. She always gave everything her all.”
