A Utah man charged with one attempted murder and tied to another death claimed he had been ordered to “purge the city.”

Christian Taele, 28, was arrested after police found an unidentified 23-year-old victim “partially hanging by the neck from a piece of gym equipment” at an apartment complex in Ogden, according to the Ogden Police Department.

The victim was hospitalized and was showing no brain activity, according to officials.

Witnesses told police that Taele approached the man, seemingly a stranger, and began strangling him, then kicked him repeatedly and dragged him into the apartment gym, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by ABC 4.

During an interview with police, Taele allegedly confessed to killing a man in Spanish Fork, about an hour south of Ogden. The victim, 49-year-old Ryan Hooley, was found dead Friday with blunt force trauma injuries and apparent stab wounds.

Taele allegedly claimed he was “directed by a higher power to purge the city.”

Police said Taele “feels no remorse” for his actions, according to the arrest affidavit.