REAL ESTATE AGENT HAD A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HISTORY — NOW HE’S ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS GIRLFRIEND INSIDE HER TESLA

A Utah real estate agent with a previous domestic-violence-related case is now facing a murder charge after police say a heated confrontation ended with his girlfriend being found inside her Tesla.

Daniel Ruesga, a licensed real estate agent and former ambassador for the Tooele Chamber of Commerce, was arrested after the Aug. 31 incident in Tooele, Utah.

The woman was identified as 37-year-old Silvia Bahena-Mota, a mother of four.

And what makes the case even more disturbing is where her children were when it happened.

They were inside the home.

POLICE SAY THE ARGUMENT TURNED DEADLY

According to police and court documents, officers were called to a home on Kings Landing Road shortly before midnight after reports of gunfire.

When officers arrived, they found a white Tesla inside the garage.

A Toyota Tundra pickup truck had crashed into the rear of the Tesla.

Bahena-Mota was found in the driver’s seat of the Tesla.

Police also located shell casings outside the driver’s side door, while Ruesga reportedly told investigators that a firearm had been left inside the vehicle.

Investigators say the confrontation happened during an argument between Ruesga and Bahena-Mota.

According to the probable-cause affidavit cited by local media, Ruesga admitted that he intentionally drove his truck into the Tesla before firing multiple times at Bahena-Mota.

He has been charged with murder as well as four counts connected to the alleged incident occurring in the presence of children.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

HER FOUR CHILDREN WERE INSIDE

The case has drawn particular attention because Bahena-Mota’s four children — ages 4, 9, 10 and 14 — were reportedly inside the house when the confrontation happened.

Authorities say the children heard what was happening.

They later discovered their mother.

The children are now left facing the loss of their mother while the man accused in the case sits in custody.

Friends and people who knew Bahena-Mota have described her as a devoted mother who worked hard to provide for her family.

A GoFundMe campaign has since been organized to help support the children.

RUESGA HAD A PREVIOUS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE

The investigation has also brought renewed attention to Ruesga’s criminal history.

Court records show that in June 2025, Ruesga was convicted of destroying property belonging to someone he lived with.

The misdemeanor carried a domestic-violence enhancement.

Rather than serving a traditional sentence immediately, prosecutors placed the case in abeyance. Ruesga was ordered to complete probation and undergo an anger-management evaluation, with additional counseling or treatment if recommended.

Court records show that the case was closed in March 2026.

It is not clear whether the person involved in that earlier case was Bahena-Mota.

That distinction remains important.

There is a documented prior domestic-violence-related case, but authorities have not established through the public record that the earlier victim was the same woman involved in the current case.

A REAL ESTATE CAREER COLLIDES WITH A CRIMINAL CASE

Before his arrest, Ruesga was known in the Tooele community as a real estate professional.

He was also associated with the Tooele Chamber of Commerce as an ambassador.

The real estate agency he worked with described him as a part-time agent and independent contractor, according to KUTV.

The company declined to have its name associated with the case.

The Utah Division of Real Estate has also been contacted about whether the allegations could affect Ruesga’s professional license.

Now, instead of a real estate career, his name is at the center of a major criminal investigation.

THE TRUCK, THE TESLA AND THE GARAGE

One of the most striking elements of the case is the physical scene investigators encountered.

The Tesla was inside the garage.

The pickup truck had been driven into it.

Bahena-Mota was inside the Tesla.

The positioning of the vehicles became an important part of the initial police investigation.

According to investigators, Ruesga’s own account allegedly placed him directly at the center of the confrontation.

Police say he admitted intentionally crashing into the Tesla and firing at Bahena-Mota.

Those allegations will now be tested through the criminal court process.

NEIGHBORS LEFT STUNNED

For people living in the Tooele neighborhood, the incident was difficult to comprehend.

Neighbor Ally Dickinson told KUTV that the violence was shocking and expressed heartbreak for Bahena-Mota’s children.

The neighborhood has since rallied around the family.

The tragedy has also renewed conversations about recognizing warning signs in relationships where domestic violence has previously been reported.

But in this case, investigators will ultimately have to establish what happened during the final confrontation through evidence and testimony in court.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Ruesga remains accused, not convicted.

The murder charge is a first-degree felony in Utah, while the four additional counts are connected to allegations that the incident occurred in the presence of children.

It was not immediately clear from the available reports whether Ruesga had entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Prosecutors are expected to continue building the case while investigators review evidence surrounding the confrontation.

For Bahena-Mota’s four children, however, the legal process cannot change the reality they are now facing.

Their mother is gone.

And a case that began with an argument inside a Utah home has now become a murder prosecution — with a prior domestic-violence-related history becoming one of the most closely examined pieces of the suspect’s background.