St. George man charged with murder in death of his wife

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was charged Thursday with killing his wife, who had written in her journal that she was afraid for her life.

Eric Larson Sampson, 50, is charged in 5th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; and intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.

The investigation began about 8:35 p.m. Sunday when St. George police were called to the area of 2800 South and 2300 East on a report of a woman possibly having a cardiac arrest. The person who called 911 “reported that there was a (domestic violence) situation at this address, and a female was not breathing. It was reported that there were bruises all over the female, and (the caller) could be heard on the 911 call telling another individual that ‘I don’t want you to run off, we have cops coming to figure this out,'” according to a police booking affidavit.

“When officers arrived on scene, they found Niki (Ahlquist) Sampson, 47, deceased inside the home. Circumstances around her death were suspicious, and upon further investigation, her husband, Eric Sampson was identified as a suspect and arrested,” St. George police said in a statement.

When police talked to the person who called 911, he said he had spoken to Niki Sampson earlier in the evening “and she seemed to have been in distress. (He) reported that (her) voice sounded raspy and quiet. With this information, (he) contacted St. George police and requested a welfare check be done,” the affidavit states.

St. George man arrested on suspicion of killing his wife, police say

Police went to the house but were unable to make contact with anyone. The person who called the police, however, was concerned for Niki Sampson’s safety and went to the house himself where “upon entering the bedroom, he observed (her) lying on the bed. (He) immediately thought that (Niki) was deceased,” according to the affidavit.

“A preliminary inspection of (Niki’s) remains revealed suspicious bruising around her body. Multiple bruises were located on both of (her) arms, with significant bruising on the left side of (her) face, near her mouth. (She) appeared to have bruises in different stages of healing, although many of the bruises appeared to be fresh,” the affidavit says.

Investigators also found Niki Sampson’s journal, which included writings about “how Eric became angry and aggressive when under the influence of alcohol. Other notes stated Eric was an alcoholic, and (she) wrote that she wanted to escape from Eric. One of the entries specifically mentioned that (Niki) was afraid for her life,” according to the arrest report.

When questioned by police, Eric Sampson “provided multiple inconsistent and false statements,” police noted.

Charging documents filed Thursday also note that when police searched the residence, “officers located a red pill with a Superman logo among other medications. Based on the officers’ training and experience, this pill is likely ecstasy.”

In July, Sampson was arrested and charged in Washington County Justice Court with assault and intoxication after police said he attacked his wife. Niki Sampson had called police and claimed “her husband was coming after her in the backyard,” court documents state. When officers arrived, they found Eric Sampson had grabbed his wife from behind and had both arms wrapped around her while she was on the ground.

Niki Sampson told officers her husband had pinned her down on their bed using his knees and was pulling her hair. When she broke free and went into the backyard to call the police, she said her husband followed and threw her to the ground and held her there. Eric Sampson’s next court hearing in that case is scheduled for Oct. 30.

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Domestic violence resources

If you or someone you know is going through abuse, help is available.

• The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).
• Resources are also available online at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.
• YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
• Utah’s statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233