Police report details alleged murder of St. George woman at hands of boyfriend

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend to death early Wednesday morning.

Officer and detectives set up a staging area near the residence where a woman was reportedly stabbed to death in St. George, Utah, April 13, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

The incident began shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday when the St. George Communications Center received a call reporting that a man, identified as 32-year-old Jonathon David Cross, had killed his girlfriend, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

The caller said Cross was on the phone with another individual admitting to killing his girlfriend and was also saying he “wanted to die,” the report states.

The 911 caller also told emergency dispatch the suspect said he was at the St. George Police Department and that he had a knife in his vehicle.

Within minutes, officers found Cross in the parking lot of the Police Department driving a Chrysler 300 that was registered to the victim.

Cross was then taken into custody. Due to his behavior and the information received relating to Cross saying he wanted to kill himself, he was transported by ambulance to St. George Regional Hospital.

Meanwhile, detectives responded to a residence on Sir Monte Drive in St. George where they found the victim, Lisa Breinholt, 45, who was dead from what appeared to be stab wounds. Officers then obtained search warrants for both the car and the residence where the incident took place.

Through the course of the investigation, officers learned that after Cross reportedly admitted to killing his girlfriend, the reporting party told the suspect to “drive to the police department and to put the knife down and to surrender to the police,” according to the report.

Detectives also learned that Cross and Breinholt were in a relationship that began five to six years ago and were living together when the incident took place.

On the morning of the incident, the affidavit states, the couple was arguing. At some point, Cross forced his way into the bedroom the couple shared. Detectives at the scene found damage consistent with someone using force to enter the room where the victim was ultimately found.

During an interview conducted later that day at the police station, the suspect allegedly told officers that he should not be there, that he wanted to die “and that officers should just kill him.”

When the suspect invoked his right to counsel all questioning ceased. He was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail facing first-degree murder.

The detective described the scene in the report as “extremely bloody” and said the woman was killed “in an extremely violent and brutal manner.”

The detective also noted the finding of many defensive wounds on the woman’s hands. Authorities requested that Cross be held without bail, as the suspect poses “a clear threat to society if released.”

The request was approved and the suspect remains in custody without bail.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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