UTAH STATE PRISON — A Holladay woman who was sentenced to up to life in prison for stabbing her girlfriend 46 times, killing her, will not get a chance at parole until 2039.
Victoria Mendoza, 23, said she "lost it" when she murdered Tawnee Marie Baird, 21, in October of 2014 as they drove along I-15 near Ogden. The two had been verbally arguing until that point. Mendoza was driving.
Mendoza pleaded guilty to murder, a first-degree felony, and was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison.
For murder convictions, the five-member Utah Board of Pardons and Parole reviews the case and votes on when to set an original hearing date. For Mendoza, the board recently voted to set her first parole hearing 23 years from now.
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— Pat Reavy