Two teenage boys 'shot 14-year-old girl in the head because her SnapChats were annoying'
Deserae Turner survived but has been left with paralysis and partial blindness
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A pair of schoolboys who allegedly shot a 14-year-old girl in the head because her Snapchat messages were annoying.
Colter Danny Peterson and Jayzen Decker, both 16, allegedly left Deserae Turner for dead in a ditch near Smithfield, Utah.
But the teenager survived and she was found by a search team who were looking for her after she was reported missing.
Peterson and Decker allegedly planned to slit her throat and let her bleed to death, according to charges filed against them.
But they eventually decided to shoot her in the head. Peterson, who was allegedly annoyed that Deserae kept messaging him on the Snapchat app, is alleged to have pulled the trigger, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
It is believed that one of the boys kept the shell casing from the incident, although it is unclear which one.
The pair will be tried as adults after Judge Angela Fonnesbeck at the First District Juvenile court in Salt Lake City ruled the pair had "planned and acted" out the shooting.
"She had no idea that was going to happen," Sheriff Deputy Brian Groves told a preliminary hearing. "(The teen) said it was the most merciful way."
After his arrest, Peterson said he had become annoyed with Turner for texting and contacting him through the messaging app Snapchat, the court heard.
Charged with attempted aggravated murder as adults, both Peterson and Decker could receive up to 15 years in jail.
Deserae does not remember the incident and has been left with paralysis and partial blindness.
At a news conference last month on the day she left a hospital, the teenager declined to talk about her injuries, but said she's happy to be alive and she was "tougher than a bullet."
Her mother said, before the shooting, that her summer goals would have been to "ride horses, practice karate. Now it's just to move her fingers."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.