In the early morning hours of May 1, 2021, the life of Shandon Nicole Scott, a 32-year-old Black woman, was tragically cut short in Salt Lake City, Utah. A state trooper, responding to reports of a car crash on Interstate 80, discovered her inside the vehicle, not the victim of the collision, but of multiple gunshot wounds. First responders reported seeing a man fleeing the scene shortly after the crash.
The man seen running from the vehicle was later identified as Terence Trent Vos,
Scott's boyfriend. He was apprehended by police in a nearby church parking lot a short time after the discovery. Investigators determined that Scott had been shot and killed before being placed in the car. The crash on the interstate occurred as Vos was driving with her body in the vehicle. The couple reportedly had a history of domestic violence, and it is believed the shooting followed a domestic dispute at a residence in Millcreek.
An autopsy would later reveal that Shandon Scott had been shot 12 times. Terence Trent Vos was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. Initially, Vos claimed that someone else had shot his girlfriend. However, during a recorded phone call from jail, he admitted to a friend that he had fabricated the story and that he had shot Scott after they had gotten into a fight. This admission became a key piece of evidence in the case against him.
Following a six-day trial in March 2025, a jury found Terence Trent Vos guilty of aggravated murder, three counts of felony discharge of a firearm, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. Two of Vos's cousins were also charged with obstructing justice for allegedly lying to police about what they knew of the incident. In May 2025, Terence Trent Vos was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Shandon Nicole Scott.
