SALT LAKE CITY — After more than a year of investigation, the widow of a man found dead in a pool of blood in his North Salt Lake home has been arrested for investigation of his death.
Cynthia Lauren Knight-Christensen, 55, was booked into the Davis County Jail on Tuesday for investigation of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice in the July 5, 2018, death of 67-year-old Reed Christensen.
On that morning, officers responded to 215 Vista Way, North Salt Lake, after Knight-Christensen had her neighbor call police and tell them she found her husband dead in an upstairs hallway after arriving home, according to a police affidavit.
Christensen died from a single gunshot wound to the head and North Salt Lake police opened a homicide investigation after determining the injury was not self-inflicted.
Christensen’s wife told police she and her husband had gone to dinner in Murray the night before and got into an argument. During the ride home, she claimed Christensen stopped the car and she got out somewhere near 6200 South and 3300 South, according to police.
Knight-Christensen claimed she did not have her cellphone at that time and asked a stranger for a ride to her son’s residence in Midvale where she spent the night, police stated. She then took an Uber to her North Salt Lake home the next day.
But after Knight-Christensen was interviewed and as detectives started looking deeper into the case, they found “many inconsistencies with specific information from Cynthia’s interview. Cynthia has given conflicting statements as to her actions when she entered the home and found her husband,” according to the affidavit.
“From the very beginning, Cynthia’s statements to us have forensically borne out to not be true. There’s just forensic evidence that contradicts what she’s told us from the start,” North Salt Lake Police Chief Craig Black said Wednesday.
Investigators also found witnesses who told them that “prior to the death of Reed Christensen, Cynthia was home and said they got into an argument and she shot him. After the murder of Reed Christensen, witnesses said Cynthia discussed her alibi with them,” the affidavit state.
Furthermore, “Cynthia has been involved in multiple fraud related crimes which involved her husband Reed. These fraud crimes involved Cynthia leaving the state of Utah to avoid apprehension,” the affidavit states.
According to police, Christensen “had evidence of her financial criminal activity and was going to turn her in.”
Knight-Christensen, however, “didn’t want to leave Reed because she didn’t want to lose the physical items, the home,” the affidavit states. She told others that “Reed had been abusive to her and she wanted him dead and offered a sum of money.”
Black said investigators believe it was “not a great marriage” situation with the Christensens. But as of Wednesday, he said police weren’t sure if there was any abuse, threats or blackmailing happening. Knight-Christensen’s claim of abuse was just one theory still being investigated, he said. However, police do believe Christensen knew about his wife engaging in identity theft, Black said.
The chief gave credit Wednesday to U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber’s office for assisting in the investigation. Huber’s office was key in retracing the path of the gun allegedly used to kill Christensen.
“We know who brought the gun to Cynthia and we know who took the gun from Cynthia and disposed of it,” Black said.
Black said additional arrests were expected as the investigation is ongoing.
After Christensen was killed, “Cynthia disposed of evidence related in the crime, altered the scene, and falsely reported her vehicle stolen,” the affidavit states.
North Salt Lake police again questioned Knight-Christensen on Tuesday.
“During the interview, Cynthia made multiple statements which contradicted facts and evidence in the case, however Cynthia denied being involved with Reed’s death,” the affidavit states.
Knight-Christensen, who has a history of identity fraud, is accused of continuing engaging in forgery and ID theft after her husband died.
Just over a month after Christensen’s death, police say she began passing forged checks along the Wasatch Front, according to charging documents.
At one point during that investigation, she even “left the state of Utah in a U-Haul after loading it full of her items and drove to Las Vegas to avoid apprehension,” according to the affidavit.
Black said his officers had to go to Clark County, Nevada, to find her and bring her back to Utah to face charges.
She was convicted in January of forgery and attempt to transfer or produce a false document, court records state.
Also in January, Knight-Christensen was charged in 2nd District Court in a separate case with two counts of forgery and two counts of theft by deception, all third-degree felonies, for using stolen checks at a Costco, according to charging documents. She was convicted on one count of forgery and sentenced to probation.
In August, she was convicted of identity fraud for opening a checking account using another woman’s identity, charges state. She was given a suspended prison term and again placed on probation.
And in yet another case, Knight-Christensen was again convicted of identity fraud in August for using someone else’s identification in an attempt to purchase a car, according to charging documents.