Man Admits Strangling Girlfriend, Killing Her After Argument Over Vape Pen

An Orem man has pled guilty to strangling his girlfriend and killing her after an argument ensued between the couple over a vape pen.

The accused, identified as 28-year-old Daniel Padilla-Ang, pled guilty to murder related to domestic violence, a first-degree felony, on Tuesday, July 19, for strangling and killing his 20-year-old girlfriend Sandra Robles on March 25 earlier this year after an argument ensued between them over a broken vape pipe, KSL News reported.

On March 25, Padilla-Ang dialed 911 and alerted the Orem Police Department early in the morning to report that he had strangled Robles while they were drinking.

The authorities immediately responded to Padilla-Ang's basement apartment near Utah Valley University in the area of 800 South and 700 West. When the officers reached the residence, they found Padilla-Ang with blood on his hands and the victim lying unconscious and not breathing inside a bedroom.

She also had significant facial injuries and her head was swollen. Following the discovery of Robles' body, medics arrived shortly after and pronounced her dead at the scene.

According to Padilla-Ang, he had been in a relationship with Robles for the past four months. Robles had come over to his home earlier that day and the two had started drinking. Later that evening, Padilla-Ang wanted to use a THC vape pen that Robles had. However, when the vape pen broke as he grabbed it from her, Robles slapped Padilla-Ang.

Enraged, he grabbed her neck with his right hand and started to choke her before proceeding to punch her in the face. He then started to choke her with both of his hands until she was no longer moving, Law & Crime reported.

After strangling her, Padilla-Ang drank a few shots of alcohol and texted family members stating that he had just killed someone and that he wouldn’t be seeing them for a while. He then called 911 and informed the authorities about the murder.

Meanwhile, Fourth District Judge Roger Griffin told Padilla-Ang that if he pled guilty, he would likely spend 15 years in prison before being considered for parole, and could be in prison for life. However, Padilla-Ang said he understood this and pled guilty to murder related to domestic violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 30.

Padilla-Ang has previously been arrested five times, including two times for domestic violence, in the last eight years.