Utah man charged with killing woman he met on Tinder to remain in jail without bail - East Idaho News
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Utah man charged with killing woman he met on Tinder to remain in jail without bail

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FARMINGTON, Utah — A Layton man charged with killing a woman he had met through a dating app will remain in jail without bail, a judge determined in a hearing Friday morning.

Ethan Robert Hunsaker, 24, was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday in relation to the killing of 25-year-old Ashlyn Black.

During the short, four-minute video hearing, Hunsaker, who was wearing a mask, waived a preliminary hearing about the charges filed against him and informed Judge John Morris he was aware of what he was being charged with, KSL.com reports.

Morris then declined to provide Hunsaker bail “given the charges in the probable cause affidavit.” Morris also scheduled Hunsaker’s next court appearance for June 16. Attorney Mark Arrington was appointed his representative in the case during Friday’s hearing.

Hunsaker is accused of killing Black early Sunday morning after the two had met for the first time Saturday night. He told police he began communicating with Black through Tinder that night and had gone to a bar together before they went to his home, according to a police affidavit filed in 2nd District Court.

ashlyn black

Hunsaker told police he began choking Black after he had woken up next to her and then stabbed her with a knife he grabbed from his kitchen before calling emergency dispatch, the affidavit continued. Emergency crews pronounced her dead at the scene.

The document stated Hunsaker’s history of mental health problems and told police he has “daily thoughts” of suicidal and homicidal ideation.

Black’s family issued a statement Monday calling Hunsaker “a monster” and the alleged crime both “senseless” and “evil.”

“The lives of her friends and family are permanently altered,” the statement read, in part. “No time can fill the emptiness we feel, and the hole it has left in our hearts. We ask for privacy as we grieve and mourn our loss.”

A GoFundMe page was also set up to pay for funeral costs.

Anyone who is experiencing a domestic violence situation is encouraged to call 1-800-897-5465.

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