On a cold February evening in 2016, the life of 30-year-old Jenna Manuel, a female sometimes known as Jenna Spinya, came to a tragic and violent end in her Riverdale, Utah, home. Just before 11 p.m. on February 7th, a frantic 911 call was made by her boyfriend, Scott Sandlin, who admitted to shooting her. When Riverdale police officers arrived at the residence near 1150 West and 4400 South, they discovered a grim scene. Jenna was deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The initial moments of the investigation were shaped by Sandlin's immediate and consistent claim: he had acted in self-defense.
According to Sandlin, the evening had spiraled into a heated argument. He told investigators that as he was attempting to leave their shared home, Jenna had armed herself with a knife and advanced toward him in a threatening manner. Fearing for his life, he discharged his firearm. At the scene, investigators did find a butcher knife in Jenna's hand, a detail that seemed to support Sandlin's harrowing account. Adding to the tragedy of the night, Jenna's 8-year-old daughter was present in the home at the time of the shooting, though she was in another room.
The Weber County Attorney's Office undertook a thorough review of the evidence collected by the Riverdale Police Department. This included forensic analysis from the state crime lab and multiple interviews. Ultimately, prosecutors determined that there was sufficient evidence to corroborate Sandlin's claim of self-defense. As a result, no criminal charges were filed against him in direct connection with Jenna's death. The investigation concluded that the shooting was a case of justified homicide under the circumstances described by Sandlin.
Despite being cleared of the homicide, Scott Sandlin did not emerge from the investigation without legal consequences. During a search of the home, detectives discovered marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and several firearms. A subsequent analysis of Sandlin's blood revealed the presence of THC. As a user of a controlled substance, he was legally prohibited from possessing firearms. Consequently, Sandlin was arrested and faced multiple felony charges, including possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and child endangerment, due to the accessibility of the drugs and paraphernalia in the home where a child resided. In the end, he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person. As part of a plea agreement, other charges were dismissed, and he was sentenced to probation and a short period of jail time.
