Kumari Shreya
Featured in episode 1 of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Hostage 911,’ titled ‘Get Her Out Alive,’ the case of Jennifer “Jenny” Andrus and Jai Hogue is truly a heartwrenching one. The two women found themselves stuck in a highly dangerous situation that led to severe consequences, thanks to Valentin Santarromana. However, they persevered and tried their level best to get out of the fatal environment that they were stuck in. But what exactly happened to the two women? Well, here is everything we know about the same.
Jenny Andrus and Jai Hogue: What Happened To Them?
Jenny Andrus had been married to Valentin Santarromana for several years. However, during the later part of the relationship, Santarromana had, according to Andrus, been possessive and threatening, leading her to ask for a separation. In August 2015, she even filed for a protective order from her husband. Things came to a head on August 22, 2015, when Andrus decided to visit the house she once shared with her husband at 3313 South Scott Court, Millcreek, Utah, in order to retrieve some clothing and look after her dogs.
However, Santarromana had allegedly been lying in wait for his estranged wife. While she was inside the house, he apparently hit her on the head first using a meat cleaver before continuing to physically assault her. Andrus claimed that she did make an attempt to flee, but Santarromana shot both of her legs and forced her to walk on her injured limbs, taking her to the basement of the house. The commotion apparently caused Hogue to rush back to the property, but Santarromana decided to shoot at her mercilessly.
Due to the incident, Hogue suffered 11 bullet wounds, which resulted in a severed spinal cord. The later injury, while only one among the various that she endured, resulted in Hogue being paralyzed from the chest down. Meanwhile, Andrus was still locked in the basement of her former home, with Santarromana assaulting her both physically and sexually. “While he was beating me, he was shouting, ‘If I can’t have you, no one can.’ He feels like he owns me. He is obsessive,” Andrus recalled while talking about the traumatic day.
While keeping Andrus hostage, Santarromana shot her multiple times, including in her arm, her leg, and the right side of her head. Meanwhile, the SWAT officers, who had been waiting for about four hours trying to negotiate with Santarromana for Andrus’ release, decided to storm the house after they heard the gunshots. Since Santarromana had seemingly cut the gas lines in the house, the rescuers did not dare fire in case of an explosion.
Santarromana did not show any such restraint and fired at the SWAT officers as well. This resulted in one officer getting injured as well. Ultimately, the law enforcement team was able to persuade the hostage taker to release Andrus from the basement, following which Santarromana was taken into custody while his estranged wife was taken to the hospital. As a result of the injuries sustained in the attack, Andrus lost the use of her right eye and had to undergo multiple operations. She stated a year after the incident that she has chronic pain, has trouble reading, suffers from migraines, and has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.)
As for Hogue, she was in a medically induced coma for months, having undergone multiple medical procedures. The attack impacted the lives of both of the women quite severely as they had to give up their jobs as educators and were unable to fully interact with their children and family as a result of their injuries. Hogue’s family had to move to a new home that would accommodate her as a wheelchair user.
Valentin Santarromana is Service His Sentence Today
Following his arrest, Valentin Santarromana was put on trial to answer for his actions on August 22, 2015. On September 11, 2015, he was charged with 31 counts of felony for attempted aggravated murders, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, assault against a police officer, and several more. Following a year-long legal battle, Santarromana pleaded guilty on September 16, 2016.
Since Santarromana had entered a plea deal, 26 of the charges levied against him were dropped. He did plead guilty to an additional charge of domestic violence in the presence of a child, as he had allegedly threatened Andrus with a machete before the hostage situation. On November 17, 2016, Santarromana was convicted to a minimum of 25 years in prison, which could extend up to life.
“I was an independent and active woman. The defendant destroyed all of this,” Jai Hogue said before the sentencing. “The changes in my life are pervasive and affect every minute of every day,” she added, “Emotionally, I will never be the same either.” Meanwhile, Andrus, too, was reeling from the after-effects of the attack that Santarromana had planned and executed. “I begged for my life,” she recalled, adding that Santarromana’s actions were “a treacherous blow to our years together.” Presently, Santarromana is serving his sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility.
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