In the early morning hours of April 20, 2026, 32-year-old Christian Lee was shot and killed in a room at the SpringHill Suites in Salt Lake City, Utah. The incident, which occurred around 6:40 a.m., stemmed from a dispute that began with a drug transaction and escalated to a fatal confrontation. Lee had rented two rooms at the hotel, one of which he had allowed a female acquaintance to use.
The woman had arranged to buy marijuana from a man she connected with on a dating app, identified
as Carlos. Carlos Samuel Chee, 22, and another man, Chino Montana Aguilar, 21, arrived at the hotel. Chee went to the woman's room, reportedly acting paranoid and claiming he had not slept in days. Later, Christian Lee, accompanied by 26-year-old Austin James Wilson, went to the room to ask the woman and Chee to leave. An argument ensued between Lee and Chee. According to police reports, Aguilar then appeared and shot Lee in the head at close range.
Following the shooting, Aguilar and Chee fled the scene in a Toyota Camry. Aguilar reportedly confessed to the shooting in a call to his parents in New Mexico, claiming the man had tried to grab his gun during a drug deal. The two suspects were apprehended later that day near Rock Springs, Wyoming, by the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office. Aguilar and Chee have since been charged with murder and aggravated robbery. Prosecutors have described the two as being on a "crime streak" that began in New Mexico, where they are also wanted in connection with the robbery of a marijuana dispensary.
Austin James Wilson, the man who was with Lee at the time of the shooting, was later located and arrested. He fled from officers and a firearm fell from his waistband during the pursuit. Wilson was taken into custody with the use of a Taser and was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. He faces charges of being a restricted person in possession of a firearm, failing to stop for police, and drug possession. Police considered him a witness to a major crime. Christian Lee was remembered as a beloved son, brother, and father to his daughter, Emma. His family described him as a "sweet soul" with a passion for drawing, boating, and fast cars.
