Police find 3 dead in SLC home

All three were found shot to death in their N. Sir Philip Drive home Friday night, and a man who lived in the basement of the home, Alexander Tran, 22, was arrested in the killings, NBC station KSL reported Saturday.

Officers went to the house on Friday looking for relatives of an 8-year-old boy after nobody picked him up at school, Chipping said.

On Saturday, police said that Tran owns the Salt Lake City home and that at least two of the victims were tenants, renting the upstairs portion of the home.

When police questioned Tran, he admitted to detectives that he was responsible for the deaths, according to jail documents released Saturday evening.

Chipping said Tran lived in the basement apartment of the boy’s home and was found inside with a firearm.

Garcia said she grew up with Ashley Poike and her daughter, and considered both of them part of her family.

When officers arrived at the home where the boy’s grandmother lived, they looked through a window and saw what appeared to be a body covered by a tarp. After no one responded at the front door, the officer found the back door was open and searched the house, McGowan said.

Police took Tran into custody and then discovered the three bodies inside.

“They located three different bodies, all with gun shot wounds”, Chipping said.

Officers did a sweep of the home, and that’s when they found three bodies.

“They kept saying they bought it for him to give it to him”, Fullmer said.

Fullmer also said Tran’s parents told him they were afraid of their son.

“He’d be beating on the doors, beating on the walls, things of that nature”, Fullmer said. He went inside, calling out for family members of the boy.

Police on Saturday booked Tran into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of three counts of aggravated murder. The male victim has been identified as Dakota Smith, age 28.

A GoFundMe account* was set up to help the family with funeral costs.