In the early morning hours of November 28, 2017, the life of 25-year-old Mechelle Leinani Lindberg was tragically cut short in a room at the Gateway Inn in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mechelle was a mother to a young daughter. Her death, initially deemed suspicious, was quickly investigated as a homicide. The cause of her death was a single gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into her death led police to identify several individuals who were present in the
motel room that morning. Surveillance footage from the Gateway Inn captured 37-year-old Joshua Valasi Saunders entering room 406 at 6:33 a.m. Mechelle followed him into the room twenty-two minutes later. Also in the room were Javier Rodriguez Pena, who had rented it, and a woman named Kristie Hansen. Just twenty-three minutes after Mechelle entered, Saunders and Pena were seen leaving the room, appearing visibly shaken. Hansen also departed. Later, a camera on a TRAX platform recorded Saunders disposing of a black bundle in a trash can; the handle of a handgun was visible in his waistband.
An anonymous tip to the police at 8:41 a.m. reported that "something was happening" in the motel room. Officers arrived to find Mechelle's body on the floor. Initially, police sought Pena and Hansen as persons of interest to understand their involvement with the victim. Both were located and interviewed, and they admitted to being in the room with Saunders. They told investigators they heard a loud boom and then saw Mechelle stand up before falling to the floor. Pena stated that he made Saunders leave the room before he and Hansen also left.
On November 30, 2017, Salt Lake City Police announced they had a suspect in custody on unrelated charges. This individual was later identified as Joshua Valasi Saunders. On December 19, 2017, Saunders was formally charged with first-degree murder in connection with Mechelle Lindberg's shooting death. He also faced charges of obstructing justice and possession or use of a firearm by a restricted person. His bail was set at $1 million. While a motive for the shooting was not immediately clear in court documents, it was noted that both Saunders and Lindberg had documented drug-related histories. There is no indication from available information that any other suspects were charged in her murder.
