Jayzon Decker, 17, admitted in an adult court on Tuesday to plotting the death of Deserae Turner when she was shot in the back of the head in Smithfield earlier this year
A Utah teenager has pleaded guilty to attempting to kill a 14-year-old girl after he and his friend grew tired of her social media posts.
Jayzon Decker, 17, admitted in an adult court on Tuesday to plotting the death of Deserae Turner when she was shot in the back of the head in Smithfield earlier this year.
Decker spoke quietly and hung his head as he pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder and obstruction of justice as part of a plea deal that saw multiple other charges against him dropped.
His victim, who was left partially paralyzed and still has bullet fragments lodged in her skull, cried in court as she listened to the medical challenges she was left facing as a result of the incident.
Deserae left the courtroom with the help of her parents after hearing Decker’s plea, Deseret News reports.
Deserae Turner was left partially paralyzed and still has bullet fragments lodged in her skull as a result. She is pictured above in April this year
Deserae cried in court as she listened to the medical challenges she was left facing as a result of the incident. Doctors say she is expected to struggle with seeing, walking and eating
The court heard that Decker and his friend Colin Peterson had lured Deserae to a canal in February under the guise of selling her a pocket knife.
The boys had plotted to ‘get rid of’ her after growing tired of her social media messages.
Peterson fired a single bullet into the back of Turner’s head.
While Peterson pleaded guilty to firing the shot, prosecutors had argued that Decker was the first to suggest killing the girl.
The boys had left Deserae for dead in the canal before she was found eight hours later by family and friends.
Decker and his friend Colin Peterson (pictured above in October when he pleaded guilty) lured Deserae to a canal in February under the guise of selling her a pocket knife
Doctors say Deserae still suffers from headaches from the ordeal because she still has bullet fragments lodged in her skull.
She is also expected to struggle with seeing, walking and eating due to partial paralysis.
Decker had also been charged with aggravated robbery and three counts of obstructing justice but they were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.
He faces a possible sentence of 15-years-to-life for the attempted murder charge. His obstruction of justice charge could bring an additional sentence of up to 15 years.
Peterson pleaded guilty in October to aggravated attempted murder and robbery.