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Two Teenagers Accused Of Shooting Deserae Turner Face Preliminary Hearing This Week

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UPDATE: On Tuesday, First District Juvenile Court Judge Angela F. Fonnesbeck considered testimony in the preliminary hearing of the boy accused of actually shooting Deserae Turner. The judge has called for a trial in this case. The other defendant's updates can be found here.

Original Story: After school on February 16, two 16-year-old boys are suspected of luring 14-year-old Deserae Turner to a secluded spot along a canal trail in Smithfield. They told her they were going to sell her a knife. Instead, one of the boys shot her in the back of the head.

Both teenagers are charged with attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, and four counts of obstruction of justice.

On Tuesday Cache County prosecutors presented their case against the first teenage boy accused in the case.

A total of nine police officers from Logan and Smithfield police departments presented their evidence, including information gathered during interviews with the two teenagers. Picture and video from the body camera of an officer who responded to the scene of the crime was admitted as evidence, as well as photos from the search of the two teenagers’ bedrooms.

Two citizens also gave testimonies about the night they found Turner abandoned in a canal ditch.

Detectives testified both boys told them they played video games together and joked about how to “get rid of” Turner. The boys told investigators the joke eventually turned into a premeditated scheme to meet Turner and either cut her throat or shoot her.

While searching the teenagers’ rooms, detectives say they found a shell casing from the gun allegedly used to shoot Turner.

The Cache County Attorney’s Office says it will try to have the two 16-year-olds certified to face the charges as adults. Utah Public Radio decided not to identify the juveniles at this time.