Background: News footage of Terence Trent Vos being cross examined in court (KUTV). Inset: Shandon Scott (Myers Mortuary).
A Utah man who admitted during a jailhouse phone call that he made up a story about his girlfriend’s killer was found guilty of her murder.
In a press release on March 21, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that Terence Trent Vos, 35, was convicted of the May 2021 murder of his girlfriend, Shandon Scott, 32. Gill wrote that the trial lasted six days, including a cross examination of Vos by the prosecution that was captured by KUTV, a local CBS affiliate. Vos was asked by prosecutors about a phone call he had with a friend while he was incarcerated during which he admitted that he and Scott had a fight that night and he shot her.
Gill stated in the release that on the night of May 1, 2021, Unified Police responded to calls about a car crash in Salt Lake County. When they arrived, witnesses told police that they saw Vos in the driver’s seat and Scott in the passenger’s seat, “deceased from many gunshot wounds.” Vos then allegedly tried to steal a witness’s vehicle, but was unsuccessful. As officers arrived at the scene, Gill wrote, Vos fled on foot.
Officers caught up with Vos quickly and took him into custody. During his interview with detectives, Vos said that it was two other men who had shot Scott, a story he was reminded of while on the stand. He was also reminded during cross examination (at around the 19:57 mark of KUTV’s coverage) that he later spoke to a friend on the phone while he was in custody and told her, that Scott was “stabbing” him, and that he “shot her.” Vos confirmed on the stand, “I did say that.”
The prosecutor read from a transcript, quoting Vos, who said, “It was like we started fighting, I don’t even remember what it was about. But then she started stabbing me, and I just… I shot her.” Again, Vos confirmed, “I did say that.” He also admitted on the stand, “I did not have any stab wounds.”
When read back what he said to his mother on the phone while in custody, the prosecutor said that he told his mother, “I had made some whole other s— up.” Vos denied that, and the prosecutor ended her questioning.
KSL, an affiliate of NBC, reported that an autopsy on Scott’s body revealed that she had been shot 12 times before the car crash.
Vos was convicted of one count of first-degree felony aggravated murder, three counts of first-degree felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, one count of first-degree felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person, one count of second-degree felony obstructing justice, and one count of class A misdemeanor failure to stop at command of law officer. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23.
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