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Offender Record · OFF-2026-201

Steven Chance Brinkerhoff

Steven Brinkerhoff

Charged (pending)

Steven Chance Brinkerhoff

Murder / homicide
Stabbing or cutting
Manual strangulation
Blunt force
Overkill

Summary of the record

Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, of Redondo Beach, California, is charged with first-degree felony murder in the January 4, 2024 stabbing death of Yuping Jiao, a 45-year-old massage parlor worker in Midvale, Utah. Jiao was stabbed approximately 56 times. Brinkerhoff was arrested outside a massage parlor in Orange, California on January 19, 2024. DNA evidence collected at the scene matched Brinkerhoff, and surveillance video showed a man in a wheelchair with one leg arriving at the parlor at 12:30 p.m. and leaving at 2:25 p.m. on the day of the murder. Brinkerhoff is being held without bail in California pending extradition to Utah. He has an extensive criminal history in California including possession of a dangerous weapon, assault on a peace officer, fighting in public, drug offenses, possession of stolen property, and violation of court order to prevent domestic violence.

This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.

Sex

Male

Race

unknown

Born

1985

Custody

Incarcerated

States

CA, NV, UT

Distinguishing featuresAmputee, missing one leg, uses wheelchair

Custody

Incarcerated at Santa Ana Jail, California

Custody record at the facility

Held without bail as of January 2024 pending extradition to Utah.

Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions

Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.

Charged (pending)
Murder / homicide

Offense date Jan 04, 2024, Midvale, Utah

Murder, first-degree felony

Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake · 3rd District Court, Salt Lake County, Utah · Arrested Jan 19, 2024

adult victim
stranger
Knife or edged weapon
Manual strangulation
Blunt force

Yuping Jiao, 45, was stabbed approximately 56 times with slice marks on her fingers, prick marks on her ankles, and a small chunk of skin removed. Brinkerhoff arrived at A+ Massage at 12:30 p.m. and left at 2:25 p.m. on January 4, 2024. DNA from blood collected at the scene matched Brinkerhoff. Cellphone data placed him in the area and he had made text contact with the victim prior to the murder.

SourcesOne-legged man charged in brutal murder of Utah massage parlor worker; California man brutally killed Utah masseuse, stabbing her 56 times, charges say; California man charged in brutal murder of Utah massage parlor worker; California man arrested for Midvale massage clinic murder; California man charged in stabbing death of Midvale massage therapist; Court documents reveal new details in brutal murder of Midvale massage parlor worker

Pattern and Background

Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.

0

Victims convicted

0

Victims confessed

1

Victims suspected

Active years

2024–2024

Range from home

interstate

Photographs by Year

Steven Brinkerhoff

Steven Brinkerhoff

Photo from kutv.com

Photo from kutv.com

Places Lived, Worked and Frequented

Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.

CA

Lived

Redondo Beach, California

until present · Primary residence

Arrested

Orange, California

Jan 19, 2024 · Arrested outside a massage parlor

Incarcerated

Orange, California

Jan 19, 2024 – present · Santa Ana Jail

NV

Traveled

Las Vegas, Nevada

approx. Jan 2024 · Fled to Las Vegas after murder before going to California

UT

Traveled

Midvale, Utah

Jan 04, 2024 · Location of massage parlor murder

Agencies

Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.

Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office · UT

Prosecuted

Prosecuting first-degree murder charge.

Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake · UT

Investigated
Arrested the person

Investigated the murder, collected evidence, and coordinated arrest with U.S. Marshals Service.

U.S. Marshals Service · FE

Arrested the person

Assisted in locating and arresting Brinkerhoff in California.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office · UT

Investigated

Involved in investigation and extradition proceedings.

Santa Ana Police Department · CA

Arrested the person

Arrested Brinkerhoff inside a sandwich shop in Orange, California.

Timeline

Jan 04, 2024

Yuping Jiao, 45, stabbed approximately 56 times at A+ Massage in Midvale, Utah; victim found deceased later that day.

Jan 19, 2024

Steven Chance Brinkerhoff arrested outside a massage parlor in Orange, California.

Jan 30, 2024

Brinkerhoff formally charged with first-degree felony murder in 3rd District Court, Salt Lake County, Utah.

Sources

Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.

News report · Gephardt Daily ·

Court documents reveal new details in brutal murder of Midvale massage parlor worker

“Crime scene investigators found a male DNA profile on Yuping's clothes, a bandage, a towel and under her fingernails. The samples were entered into the National DNA Index System and returned a match for Brinkerhoff.”


News report · KUTV News ·

California man charged in stabbing death of Midvale massage therapist

“A warrant has been issued in Utah for the arrest of Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, of Redondo Beach, California, for a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Yuping Jiao, a massage therapist found dead with multiple stab wounds Jan. 4.”


News report · Court TV ·

One-legged man charged in brutal murder of Utah massage parlor worker

“Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, is facing one count of first-degree felony murder for the death of 45-year-old Yuping Jiao, who was working alone in the spa when she was brutally attacked and stabbed approximately 56 times.”


News report · Yahoo News ·

California man arrested for Midvale massage clinic murder

“According to investigators, several DNA samples collected from blood stains at the scene came back as a positive match for Brinkerhoff.”


News report · ABC4 Utah ·

California man arrested for Midvale massage clinic murder

“Prosecutors have charged Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, with the first-degree felony murder of Yuping Jiao, 45.”


News report · Fox 13 Now ·

California man charged in brutal murder of Utah massage parlor worker

“Steven Brinkerhoff, 39, faces one count of first-degree felony murder for the death of 45-year-old Yuping Jiao, an immigrant from China.”


News report · KSL.com ·

California man brutally killed Utah masseuse, stabbing her 56 times, charges say

“Steven Chance Brinkerhoff, 39, of Redondo Beach, California, was charged Tuesday with murder in the brutal killing of Yuping Jiao, 45, at a massage parlor in Midvale on Jan. 4.”

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