Murder charges filed in strip club stabbing

SALT LAKE CITY — Murder charges have been filed against a man accused of stabbing two men, killing one, in a fight at a local strip club Nov. 11.

Isaac Anthony Gallegos, 44, is charged with murder, a first-degree felony, aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a third-degree felony, according to documents filed Thursday in 3rd District Court.

Police say Gallegos was involved in a fight that broke out just after 11 p.m. Southern Exposure, 3420 S. Main. Witnesses told police Gallegos produced a knife during the fight and stabbed a bouncer in the side and another man in the chest, charges state.

Dustin Hoffman, 27, was stabbed twice in the chest and died at the scene from knife wounds that punctured his heart and lung, charges state. The bouncer, Brandon Melendez, was hospitalized and treated for a punctured liver and lung.

Investigators located a white button-up shirt and undershirt matching the description of Gallegos' attire at the bar in a trash bin outside his apartment, according to the charges. Both shirts were torn, and the long-sleeved shirt bore a brown stain consistent with blood.

Gallegos was arrested following the incident and booked into Salt Lake County Jail on $1 million cash-only bail. He was previously convicted of aggravated robbery and sent to the Utah State Prison in 2002. He was released in 2010 and was on parole at the time of the stabbing.

— McKenzie Romero

Twitter: @McKenzieRomero