In a Provo, Utah apartment on the afternoon of May 7, 2019, a violent altercation ended the life of 27-year-old Freya Larsen, a White/Caucasian female. The incident unfolded around 4 p.m. inside her residence located in the area of 370 E. Center Street. A 911 call was placed by Michael Taylor Robinson, also 27, who initially reported that he had shot Larsen.
His statements to the dispatcher were confused and contradictory, claiming both that she had scared him and that the shooting was an accident. He also alleged that they had been fighting and she had threatened to kill him.
When authorities arrived, they found Larsen with a single gunshot wound to the right side of her head. She was immediately transported to a nearby hospital, but the injury proved to be fatal. At the scene, investigators located the. 380 black handgun that Robinson had used. While two other handguns were present in the apartment, they were packed away in a moving box and not easily accessible. The only weapon readily available was the one used in the shooting. Robinson was taken into custody as a person of interest.
The investigation soon uncovered a history of domestic violence. Larsen's family members told police about a previous incident on April 21 of the same year, where Robinson had allegedly held the same gun to her head during an argument. Larsen had not reported this to the police but had plans to do so after an upcoming move to Chicago. Family also reported another altercation just two days before her death, in which Robinson had allegedly pushed her out of a vehicle, leaving her with bruises. Evidence of these bruises was later found on her body by investigators.
Based on the evidence and witness statements, Michael Taylor Robinson was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail on suspicion of murder, a first-degree felony. He was held without bail. Later, in February 2021, while incarcerated, Robinson faced additional charges of obstruction of justice for allegedly attempting to contact and coach witnesses in his case from jail.
