In the fading light of a September evening in Salt Lake City, the life of Dakota Smith, a 28-year-old Caucasian male, came to an abrupt and violent end. On September 18, 2015, Smith was found deceased, a victim of a triple homicide that also claimed the lives of 50-year-old Heike Poike and her 2-month-old granddaughter, Lyrik Poike. The grim discovery was made by police officers who had been dispatched to a residence after Heike Poike failed to pick up her 8-year-old grandson from school.
Dakota, who was born on December 18, 1986, was described by his family as a kind and sweet person with a heart of gold, always willing to help anyone in need. He had faced his share of challenges in life but was reportedly trying to turn things around. In the days leading up to his death, he had expressed a desire to get a job and get his life on track. His family believes he may have been trying to protect Heike Poike at the time of the incident. The exact nature of his relationship with the other victims remains unclear to investigators.
The hours following the discovery of the bodies saw the arrest of a suspect, 32-year-old Alexander Hung Tran. Tran was reportedly the landlord of the house where the victims were found, living in the basement apartment while renting out the rest of the home to Heike Poike. Neighbors reported seeing Tran outside the house with a gun, wearing only a sweatshirt and boxer shorts. He was subsequently booked into the Salt Lake County Jail in connection with the three deaths. While an arrest was made, a clear motive for the tragic killings was not immediately released by law enforcement.
