Man charged with murder in hotel death of U student

SALT LAKE CITY— Haoyu Wang was charged for the death of U student, Zhifan Dong who he injected with a lethal dose of heroin in what he called an “attempt to commit suicide together.”

Wang has been charged with murder, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Salt Lake City Police searched for Wang and Dong after they were informed by University Police  of an email sent from a student, (Wang,) to a staff member at the University of Utah. The email stated both would be dead when they were found.

Police pinged the victim’s phone and around 6:06 a.m. arrived at 616 South 200 West to conduct a welfare check. Both SLCPD and University Police conducted a welfare check on a hotel room registered to Haoyu Wang and discovered Dong and Wang in the room. Dong was found deceased and Wang was taken into custody.

Dong was a first-year undergraduate student from Anyang, Henan, China. The University of Utah released a statement regarding the Dong’s death stating, “Police have indicated that the situation was likely a domestic violence situation.”

“This is a tragic case said Salt Lake County DA Sim Gill. Our Office intends to do everything in our power to bring a measure of justice for the victim and their family. We have met with the family and ask that their privacy please be respected as they deal with their loss.”