ST. GEORGE —An inmate awaiting sentencing for an aggravated robbery conviction has been charged with aggravated attempted murder after he allegedly beat another inmate nearly to death at the jail in Washington County.
The incident was reported late Wednesday evening when corrections staff at Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane were alerted there had been an assault that took place between two inmates.
According to charging documents filed with the court, the jail command staff found an inmate, who was in his late 40s, unconscious and unresponsive. As the injured man was being carried downstairs to an awaiting ambulance, the report states, they were “concerned that the victim was going to die due to the state the victim was found in.”
The injured inmate was experiencing agonal breathing – a brain reflex wherein the person starts gasping or struggling for air and often results from a severe injury or medical condition. The inmate was transported to St. George Regional Hospital in critical condition, the report said.
While the jail staff tended to the severely injured inmate, the suspect, Lazaro Ponce, 46, of Savannah, Georgia, reportedly was heard asking “if the victim was dead.”
Washington County Prosecutor Zachary Weiland told St. George News that the inmate was near death when he was found. After the inmate arrived at the hospital, doctors were able to stabilize him. Weiland said the injuries were extensive and included a spinal fracture, broken ribs and other injuries.
Sgt. Joel Hafoka with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said that since the incident took place at the jail, the investigation was turned over to the Washington City Police Department, which is standard procedure.
When detectives arrived at the jail late Wednesday night they sought out the suspect, who had what appeared to be blood on both of his hands and the sleeves of his long-sleeved undershirt. Investigators also noticed blood on the suspect’s shoes, as well as on the back of the inmate’s shirt near the belt line.
During a search of Ponce’s cell, where the assault reportedly took place, detectives noted “a copious amount of blood” along the wall, floor and on the desk area. When detectives tried to speak to the suspect, the report states, Ponce declined to make any statement without a lawyer present.
Meanwhile, investigators learned through a series of interviews that several days prior to the incident, Ponce allegedly made a number of statements indicating “he was going to kill someone,” comments that were made to “everyone.” The report also states that shortly after the alleged attack, there were several witnesses who reported hearing a man gasping for air.
Later, investigators went to the hospital where they found that in addition to spinal injury, there was severe swelling on the man’s nose and the left side of his face, and he was bleeding from his left ear.
Detectives then submitted a first-degree felony charge of attempted aggravated assault to the Washington County Attorney’s Office, and Thursday, Ponce was formally charged with first-degree felony aggravated attempted murder.
Ponce was convicted of aggravated robbery and theft following a jury trial held last month. The case involved a June 6 armed robbery at Durango’s Mexican Grill on Red Cliffs Drive in St George. Responding officers received updated information that indicated the suspect had a gun and had taken all of the cash from the register. The suspect was arrested and has remained in custody while awaiting a Jan. 3, 2023 sentencing hearing.
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.