California man arrested for Midvale massage clinic murder
MIDVALE, Utah (ABC4) — Investigators say a man from California is responsible for the death of a Chinese immigrant at a massage clinic in Midvale on Jan. 4, 2024.
Prosecutors have charged Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, with the first-degree felony murder of Yuping Jiao, 45.
Jiao was found dead by her brother in her massage clinic located near 7400 South and State Street. According to investigators, Jiao had been stabbed 56 times and had several smaller cuts and lacerations all over her body.
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Police said surveillance video showed a man in a wheelchair with only one leg, later identified by investigators as Brinkerhoff, arriving at the clinic around 12:30 p.m. on the day of her murder. Surveillance video reportedly shows him leaving the clinic just two hours later.
According to investigators, several DNA samples collected from blood stains at the scene came back as a positive match for Brinkerhoff.
Following the murder, Brinkerhoff allegedly fled Utah for California, where he is currently being held in custody. According to court documents, he was arrested in California after he was located outside another massage clinic.
“[Brinkerhoff] does not have any family in Utah, but has family in Oregon, Colorado, and California,” Police said in court documents. “[Brinkerhoff] has an extensive criminal history in California to include possession of a dangerous weapon, assault on a peace officer, fighting in public, drugs, possession of stolen property and violation of court order to prevent domestic violence.”
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Authorities did not clarify a possible motive for the murder or why Brinkerhoff was in Utah, however, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said it was not an “accidental meeting.” During a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 30, Gill said that Brinkerhoff had been speaking with Jiao through text messages before her murder. Cell phone data also allegedly places Brinkerhoff in the area at the time of her death.
“This was a really brutal crime. When our officers responded on Jan. 4, they knew immediately that this was going to take a lot of work to find this individual,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
Brinkerhoff is reportedly on probation in California and faces extradition to Utah to face the accused crime. He has been ordered to be held without bail.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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