Man who admitted killing Univ. of Utah student also suspected in Colorado murder, along with wife

DENVER – The man arrested Tuesday in connection with the murder of a University of Utah student is also the main suspect in the murder of a Golden, Colorado man, according to authorities and police documents released Wednesday.

An arrest sheet obtained by Denver7 from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office shows that Austin Boutain, 24, faces seven felony counts related to the incidents in Utah, which include aggravated murder, firearms charges and aggravated robbery.

According to the Golden Police Department, he and his wife, Kathleen, are also the only suspects in the murder of a Golden man found dead early Tuesday, whose guns and truck are believed to have been stolen by the couple after he was killed.

According to the Utah police document, after Boutain was detained by security guards and officers at the downtown Salt Lake City library Tuesday, he admitted to shooting ChenWei Guo, a 23-year-old Mormon immigrant from China who was studying computer science at the university, on Monday night.

Boutain told police he shot Guo in an attempt to steal his vehicle, and also fired two shots at a woman who was near the shooting “so there were no witnesses,” according to the police document.

He also admitted to stealing three guns from the home in Golden, though Utah police wrote they only recovered one of them. Mitchell Bradford Ingle, 63, was found dead at his home early Tuesday, and Boutain was believed to have driven Ingle’s truck to Utah.

Despite Golden police saying that the Boutains were the sole suspects in Ingle’s murder on Wednesday, it’s still unclear how the couple knew him. Police said Wednesday the couple and Ingle had recently met and “did not have a long-term relationship.”

The department said it will present its investigation to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office for recommended charges of first-degree murder, robbery, and motor vehicle theft for the couple in addition to the Utah charges.

According to the Utah police document, Boutain told officers he had traded one of the other guns for an ounce of marijuana, and the other weapon, which was allegedly used in Guo’s murder, was hidden in a crevice in a wall of the Salt Lake City homeless shelter. Boutain said the weapon was missing when he went back to find it.

But he then took detectives out to the camp he and his wife, Kathleen, had been staying at in Red Butte Canyon, where detectives found the holster for the weapon used in Guo’s murder, a .44-caliber Ruger, and six spent .44-caliber shell casings.

The police document says that Boutain had also assaulted Kathleen with one of the weapons, injuring her.

Guo was found dead Monday night still in his vehicle. According to the Associated Press, Guo had come to the U.S. in 2012 with hopes of opening a consulting firm, and enjoyed hiking in Red Butte Canyon and others in the area where he was shot and killed.

Wisconsin authorities said Boutain, who was originally from Alabama, had been on parole, which was transferred to Wisconsin this summer. But he failed to adhere to his conditions, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Aug. 31, according to the AP.

The AP also reports that Boutain and his wife have two children and were married in 2014, though he filed for divorce in January—something that has yet to be finalized.

Boutain’s mother told the Minneapolis Star Tribune she was “heartbroken for the victims and their families” involved in her son’s alleged crimes. “We are sending out our heartfelt and earnest prayers,” she told the paper.

Both Boutains remain jailed in Utah pending their next court appearances, which had yet to be set as of Wednesday morning.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.