Utah Girl, 15, Was Fatally Shot in the Head — and Her 16-Year-Old Boyfriend Now Faces Adult Murder Charge

A 15-year-old Utah girl is being remembered as “full of life” with “so many dreams ahead of her” this week after she was allegedly shot and killed by her 16-year-old boyfriend in her bedroom early Saturday morning.

Local police in Ogden, Utah allege that Hezekiah Plummer, 16, shot Chanelle Alvarez in the head at point-blank range and killed her before fleeing her family’s home around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to reports from KSL, KUTV, and Fox 13.

Alvarez, 15, was found dead in her bedroom after a family member was woken up by the gunshot and went to go check on her, crossing paths with Plummer as he fled the home, according to KSL.

Citing court records, the outlet reports that when the teenage suspect crossed paths with Alvarez’s family member in a stairway, “Plummer made a statement about a ‘robbery’ and mentioned a name of someone else that he claimed tried to rob them” before fleeing the house with the firearm allegedly used in the shooting.

Plummer was arrested in a neighboring county with more than $4,000 cash and several ounces of marijuana in his possession, according to KSL and Fox 13. Police alleged Plummer disposed of the firearm before he was arrested.

The outlets reported that Alvarez’s mother told police Plummer, who had often stayed with his girlfriend’s family in the past, showed up at the family’s home around 1 a.m. that morning.

Plummer has been charged with first-degree murder, obstruction of justice and theft of a firearm, according to KSL. The teenager will be tried as an adult, according to the outlet.

“Our hearts are shattered as we share the absolutely heartbreaking loss of Chanelle,” read a GoFundMe page set up to help Alvarez’s family with funeral costs. She had a “beautiful and feisty spirit” and a “contagious laugh,” the memorial continued.

The Alvarez family wrote in the fundraiser that it blamed its daughter’s death on domestic violence, adding that it’s “something no child, no family, should ever have to endure.”

The 15-year-old was reportedly a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Ogden, Utah, where she frequently attended summer camps, according to KUTV.

“She was an absolutely spectacular young woman – so much life,” Jeff Stephenson, the church’s pastor told the outlet. “Always had a smile on her face, every interaction I had with her. She was caring and compassionate towards other people, and just with curiosity towards life that was unmatched.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.