Woman, 60, charged in Sandy shelter roommate’s death

SANDY, Utah, June 3, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Charges were filed Monday against a 60-year-old woman accused of killing her 62-year-old roommate at a Sandy homeless shelter last week.

Stephanie Lynn Haskett-Carrasco was found dead of blunt force trauma to the head and neck at the shelter for the medically vulnerable at 8955 S. 255 West around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, May 26, said the police.

Responding Sandy police and fire personnel found Haskett-Carrasco’s body hidden under a bed at the shelter, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Police also found a metal box of Ensure nutritional powder with blood and hair on the bottom, the release said. Officers also found a red substance believed to be blood on the air conditioning unit in the room and on the door frame.

Laura Darlene Northrup, one of Haskett-Carrasco’s roommates at the former Econo Lodge, was arrested May 26 and charged Monday with first-degree murder and second-degree felony obstruction of justice.

Haskett-Carrasco and Northrup had a “strained relationship,” with another roommate telling police they would “fight” a lot, according to the news release.

“The MVP Shelter is a place for those in a compromised medical condition to find safety and solitude. This violent act has shaken the community, and our hearts go out to Ms. Haskett-Carrasco’s loved ones,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “We appreciate the detectives at the Sandy City Police Department for their efforts.”