A long-running murder case in Salt Lake City has ended with a life sentence for Kidus Chane Yohannes, who was convicted of aggravated murder in the 2018 stabbing death of Candace Samples.
Third District Judge Kristine Johnson sentenced Yohannes, 39, to life without parole on Sept. 29, 2026. He also received an additional sentence of zero to five years for attempted manslaughter involving a man who was stabbed while trying to intervene.
The case began on Nov. 7, 2018, when police responded to a report of multiple people being stabbed behind a Dollar Tree near 477 North and 300 West in Salt Lake City. The store has since closed.
According to evidence presented in the case, Samples had taken Yohannes’ cellphone while he was at the nearby Marmalade Branch Library. The dispute later moved to a dumpster enclosure behind the store, where Yohannes confronted Samples and others about the missing phone.
Prosecutors said Yohannes pulled a knife during the confrontation and threatened to use it if his phone was not returned.
A witness who saw what was happening ran to a nearby convenience store to get help. A man then went to the dumpster enclosure to intervene and was attacked and stabbed after entering the area.
Another witness managed to escape the enclosure and later returned carrying a large board. He then saw Yohannes stabbing Samples. The enclosure gates were eventually opened, allowing people to get out, while Yohannes fled the scene.
Samples was taken to a hospital but died from her injuries. Investigators said she had suffered about 20 stab wounds to her head, arms and torso.
The man who attempted to help Samples survived and was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The investigation continued for years before the case went to trial. Police had recovered Yohannes’ shoes after the stabbing, and forensic testing later found blood on them that matched Samples’ DNA.
Surveillance video from a nearby business also showed Yohannes and Samples together shortly before the stabbing.
Yohannes was not formally charged until July 2021. The case then faced additional delays involving forensic testing, competency evaluations and witness availability.
His three-day trial began in August 2026. On Aug. 7, a Salt Lake County jury found him guilty of aggravated murder in Samples’ death. Jurors also found him guilty of attempted manslaughter after determining that imperfect self-defense applied to the stabbing of the man who intervened.
The conviction brought an end to a case that had remained unresolved for years.
At the sentencing hearing, the man who survived the attack spoke about how his life had changed since the stabbing and the steps he has taken to help others.
Samples’ family also addressed the court. They remembered her childhood, the time they spent raising her and the loss they have experienced since her death. A video showing moments from her life was played during the hearing.
The life sentence means Yohannes will remain in prison for the rest of his life with no possibility of parole for the aggravated murder conviction.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said the sentence cannot undo the loss of Samples, but expressed hope that her family feels some measure of justice after years of waiting for the case to reach its conclusion.
