A Utah real estate agent was shot and killed after he tried to evict tenants from a Salt Lake City apartment he owned. David Stokoe, a 40-year-old associate broker at Ranlife Real Estate, was likely killed on Thursday when he went to the apartment to evict two tenants, Manuel Velasquez, and Jessica Reese, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Police found Stokoe’s body in a hidden crawl space. Velasquez, a convicted felon, later admitted to the shooting and was arrested, police said. Velasquez told police that Stokoe put him in a “very serious” chokehold after kicking down the front door to the apartment on Thursday. But Stokoe’s family told the newspaper that he wouldn’t start a fight and that they believed he was set up by his tenant. During the struggle, Velasquez told police that he reached for a handgun and shot Stokoe multiple times, according to court documents cited by the Salt Lake Tribune. Velasquez is in jail on suspicion of murder, obstruction of justice, possession of a firearm by a restricted person and a felony-level discharge of a firearm offense. A well-known South Florida broker was recently shot and killed by her brother-in-law, who later killed himself. [Salt Lake Tribune] — Katherine Kallergis<doc-sep>Three people were arrested on Saturday in connection to the fatal shooting of a Utah real estate broker who was allegedly killed while attempting to evict tenants from a building he owned, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department and NBC News affiliate KSLTV. On Saturday, the Salt Lake City Police Department said it had located the body of David Stokoe, 40, a father of four, who went missing two days earlier. Later that day, the department posted that three people — Jessica Reese, who also goes by the last name Miller, 38, Diana Hernandez, 30, and Manuel Velasquez, 31, — had been arrested. Reese and Hernandez were arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice. Velasquez was arrested on suspicion of murder. In a statement to police, Velasquez said he and Reese had recently moved into an apartment that Stokoe owned, according to KSLTV. Stokoe allegedly told Reese that the pair had to vacate the apartment by 6 p.m. MST (8 p.m. ET) on Thursday, KSLTV reported. When Stokoe found the tenants still there on Thursday, a fight broke out, and Velasquez allegedly shot and killed Stokoe, according to KSLTV. Salt Lake City Police Department did not immediately return an information request made by NBC News about the circumstances that led to Stokoe's death. Police said when they entered the apartment they saw evidence of a crime but not Stokoe's body. “Once we began processing that scene, we discovered that secret passage or secret door and then discovered his remains,” said Detective Greg Wilking, of the Salt Lake City Police Department, told KSLTV. Reese and Hernandez allegedly helped Velasquez hide Stokoe's body, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Stokoe's family released a statement to the Tribune on Saturday night about regarding his death. “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Dave. This situation is tragic beyond words, but we are remembering Dave the way he deserves to be remembered, as a hero and champion,” they said. A vigil for Stokoe was planned for Monday evening.<doc-sep>Three people were arrested Saturday after a Utah real estate agent was found dead in a crawl space of an apartment he had visited to collect rent from the tenants, investigators said. David Stokoe was reported missing Friday by his wife, who called police after the real estate agent didn’t return home from work. Prior to his disappearance, Stokoe, 40, was visiting an apartment in Salt Lake City that was being rented out by Manuel Velasquez, 31, and Jessica Miller, 38, court documents obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune stated. Velasquez and Miller allegedly had issues with Stokoe because he was “overstepping his legal rights by entering the apartment without [the renters’] permission.” BODY OF UTAH SKIER, 26, RECOVERED AFTER BEING BURIED IN AVALANCHE Stokoe went to the apartment Thursday and allegedly kicked open the door, Velasquez claimed, and a fight ensued, court documents stated. Miller told police Stokoe placed Velasquez in a “very serious” chokehold, prompting the suspect to grab the handgun inside his fannypack and fire at the real estate agent. Salt Lake City Police Detective Greg Wilking said police entered that apartment and “saw things” that indicated a crime occurred, FOX13 reported. They found Stokoe’s body stashed in a crawl space on Friday. Police located Stokoe’s 2015 Cadillac Escalade on Saturday and arrested Velasquez, Miller and Diana Hernandez, 30, who allegedly helped them clean the apartment after the murder. BARBIE DOLL LEFT ON GRAVE COULD PROVIDE CLUES TO SOLVE COLD CASE RAPE, MURDER OF 6-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN UTAH Velasquez was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of murder and other related charges. Hernandez and Miller face obstruction charges. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Stokoe’s family released a statement to FOX13 saying they were heartbroken by his death. “This situation is tragic beyond words, but we are remembering Dave the way he deserves to be remembered, as a hero and champion,” the statement read. “We know we will see him again someday, and that families are forever. We are choosing to focus on the love we feel from everyone, and the love we feel for Dave, rather than resentment surrounding the circumstances of his death.”<doc-sep>
A Utah real estate agent was allegedly gunned down by tenants he was trying to evict — and his body was found inside a crawl space in the apartment, according to a report. David Stokoe, a dad of four, had gone to the Salt Lake City home Thursday after letting his renters know they needed to be out by 6 p.m., according to the Salt Lake Tribune. His body was found the next day. One of the tenants, Manuel Velasquez, told police he got into a fight with Stokoe on Thursday evening because the landlord kicked the door and put him into a “very serious” chokehold, court documents obtained by the paper say. Velasquez, 31, told cops that while he was being subdued, he grabbed a handgun inside the fannypack he was wearing and shot Stokoe multiple times. Later, Jessica Reese, who also goes by Jessica Miller, 38, and Diana Hernandez, 30, allegedly cleaned the apartment and hid Stokoe’s body. But Stokoe’s mother, Diane, and his half-brother Dean Belov dispute Velasquez’s story — saying their loved one would never instigate a fight. Velasquez was booked in Salt Lake County Jail on multiple charges, including suspicion of murder, and Reese and Hernandez were both booked on charges of obstruction of justice. Stokoe’s family said their “hearts are broken over the loss” in a statement released Saturday. “This situation is tragic beyond words, but we are remembering Dave the way he deserves to be remembered, as a hero and champion.” The family set up a GoFundMe to help Stokoe’s widow, Nikki, and their four young children.