SANDY — Police say an ex-convict shot and killed his estranged wife Thursday before turning the gun on himself.
Marydell Lupinacci was pronounced dead Thursday morning outside her apartment near 8800 S. State. Frank Lupinacci Jr., 46, of Holladay, shot himself in the head and was airlifted to University Hospital and in extremely critical condition Thursday night, Sandy police Sgt. Bill O'Neal said.
The family asked the hospital not to release updates on his condition.
Court records show Marydell Lupinacci filed for a divorce on June 4, although the divorce had not been finalized. Both had filed for protective orders against the other throughout the summer — Marydell Lupinacci's most recent request for a protective order against Frank Lupinacci Jr. was filed Aug. 16.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Rosie Rivera said her office had received multiple phone calls from both Marydell and Frank Lupinacci Jr. to keep the peace as each removed items from the other's home.
Lupinacci served more than five years in the Utah State Prison for an incident involving a different woman, whom he divorced in 1989. Court records show he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault with a gun for a Dec. 16, 1989, incident when his ex-wife went to his home to pick up her temporary support payment.
A probable-cause statement from that time states Lupinacci forcibly restrained the woman and sexually assaulted her. He also held a .44-caliber handgun to the woman's head and threatened to kill her.
Lupinacci completed his parole on May 7, 2002.
Thursday's morning's shooting is apparently the latest in a rising tide of domestic-violence incidents in Utah. Utah's homicide rate among women is 21 percent higher than the national average.
Marydell Lupinacci's neighbors said she constantly feared for her life. Every time Marydell Lupinacci left her apartment, she nervously looked around "like she was being stalked," said neighbor Sue Ludwig.
Marydell Lupinacci had just moved into the apartment complex two months ago with her daughter, who reportedly is in her 20s. The two were extremely close, and the daughter was hysterical Thursday morning after the shooting, neighbors said. It is unclear if the daughter saw or heard the shooting.
Ludwig was getting ready for work when she heard two gunshots.
She ran outside and was one of the first witnesses to the crime scene.
"It was awful," Ludwig said. "I walked over there, they were both lying there. I was sick to my stomach, I started shaking."
Teresa Cohoon was just around the corner when she heard the gunshots Thursday morning, but she said she did not hear an argument. Someone hit Cohoon's car and ran off earlier that morning, and a police officer was there filing a report.
Cohoon and the police officer ran to the scene, where Cohoon said she saw a woman and a man lying on the ground near a large pool of blood. Cohoon said the man was shaking.
Neighbors said the woman had a bubbly personality and was always smiling while walking her dog around the apartment complex.
"She was the nicest person," Ludwig said. "She didn't deserve this."
E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com