Midvale man pleads guilty to killing roommate

MIDVALE — A man has admitted that he killed his Midvale roommate in 2011.

Christopher John Wiggins, 24, was originally charged with murder, a first-degree felony, in the death of David Woodrow Brown, 47. Wiggins recently pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, as part of a plea bargain.  

Police were called to the duplex the men shared at 528 E. Carmel Drive (7400 South) to investigate an unknown problem on Oct. 15, 2011. Officers saw Wiggins exit the home and went in and found Brown at the bottom of a staircase with a large head wound.

In an interview with police, Wiggins said he had lived with Brown for four months and the pair were arguing about missing property that morning, according to charging documents. Wiggins apparently told police he had beat Brown with a garden tool until he "became almost lifeless" before pushing the man down the stairs.

The medical examiner determined that Brown died from blunt force trauma.

Wiggins is set to be sentenced Feb. 20.

— Emiley Morgan, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam