Cache Valley girl shot in the head; two teen suspects to be tried as adults - East Idaho News
Utah

Cache Valley girl shot in the head; two teen suspects to be tried as adults

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CACHE COUNTY, Utah — Two 16-year-old boys are expected to appear in juvenile court Wednesday on charges of attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and obstruction of justice in connection with the shooting of an Amalga girl last week.

According to court documents filed Tuesday, the boys lured Deserae Turner to the canal “under the guise of selling her a knife.” They had reportedly planned her death in advance.

While they allegedly planned to use a knife, one of the boys told police he brought a .22 caliber handgun as a backup, and that gun is believed to be the one used in the shooting, court records state.

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Smithfield Police Chief Travis Allen speaks at a press conference with Cache County Attorney James Swink on Tuesday in Logan. | Eli Lucero, Herald Journal

Both teens were contacted by law enforcement after the girl was reported missing Thursday, and both denied seeing her at all. However, when the matter turned into a criminal case, detectives learned the boys had in fact been in contact with her prior to her disappearance.

Police interviewed both boys, who were later taken into custody and are set to appear in court for detention hearings Wednesday.

Cache County Attorney James Swink and other officials updated the public on developments in the case in a press conference Tuesday morning.

While the boys have been charged in juvenile court, Swink said his office ultimately plans to charge them both as adults, a move allowed under the state’s serious youth offender law.

That process begins in juvenile court, and there are a number of procedures that have to take place before the case can be transferred to the adult court in the next 10-30 days.

Cache County Victims Advocate Group Spokeswoman Jill Parker spoke on behalf of the girl’s family at the press conference, saying that Deserae is in a medically induced coma in critical condition and is currently “in the fight of her life.”

Officials say Deserae Turner was reported missing Thursday evening when she did not return from school, and at about 12:45 a.m. two individuals found her semi-conscious in a dry canal located just east of Sky View High School, said Smithfield Police Chief Travis Allen.

Allen said investigators have seized the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting and a number of other items, and they are still actively working on the case.

Donations to a Deserae Turner Charity Fund can be made at America First Credit Union branches, and an online fundraiser for Deserae’s family has raised nearly $24,000 in four days. It can be viewed here.

This story first appeared in the Herald Journal. It is used here with permission.

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