Chanelle Alvarez, Ogden, Utah teen girl shot dead by 16 year old boyfriend, Hezekiah Plummer with mom’s newly purchased gun. Teen suspect to be charged as adult.
A 16 year old Utah teen is to be charged as an adult in the shooting death of his 15-year old Ogden area girlfriend over the weekend.
Hezekiah Plummer, 16, of Clearfield is alleged to have fatally shot Chanelle Alvarez at her Ogden residence early morning Saturday at close range before fleeing the scene.
Plummer who was soon after arrested was charged with felony murder and second degree obstruction of justice and theft of a firearm. The teen boyfriend who prosecutors indicated would pursue murder charges as an adult also faced a a count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor and a count of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, third-degree felonies.
Ogden, Utah teen girl shot dead in domestic violence incident
‘Autopsy revealed that the victim sustained a single gunshot wound to the head and that there was stippling near the wound, indicating the shooter was in close range,’ arresting documents cited by KSL stated.
A witness at the home called police at about 3 a.m. on Saturday, after waking up to gunfire. As he went downstairs to investigate, he encountered Plummer coming up the stairs with a firearm in his hand, according to court documents.
The affidavit stated Plummer ‘was known to run away’ from home and that he had lived in Chanelle’s home at times. He showed up at the girl’s home about 1 a.m. Saturday, saying he had nowhere to stay. ‘He kept at least some belongings in the home until he was last made to move out of the home a couple weeks prior. This made him a cohabitant of the victim,’ it reads.
Prior to the shooting, the girl’s mother purchased a firearm, according to arresting documents which she reported missing in the immediate after her daughter’s shooting death. The box for the firearm was located in the victim’s room while the firearm itself was missing.
Ogden Utah teen girl shot dead with mom’s stolen gun
‘Mother indicated that she had seen the firearm earlier the prior evening in her bedroom and it should not be in the daughter’s room,’ the statement reads.
Police found a single casing in the hallway outside of the 15-year-old girl’s bedroom. Along with this, they found seven cartridge casings outside and a “significant distance” from the home.
Upon his arrest hours later, Plummer was found to have several ounces of marijuana and $4,080 cash in his possession.
‘The amount (of marijuana) possessed by Plummer was significantly larger than a user would possess and indicative of an intent to distribute,’ according to arresting documents.
Authorities had yet to locate the missing murder weapon. Ogden prosecutors allege Plummer disposing the gun shortly after killing the 15-year old teen girl.
Family and friends launched a GoFundMe* fundraiser to raise money as they contend with the aftermath of the tragic killing. In it, they lauded Chanelle’s ‘beautiful and feisty spirit’ and expressed heartbreak and shock at the teen girl’s death.
Chanelle Alvarez remembered
‘She had so many dreams ahead of her. She talked about her future with excitement and hope, imagining all the things she wanted to do and become. She had a heart full of kindness and a determination that could move mountains. We all believed she was going to do amazing things — and in her short time here, she already did,’ it reads.
The GoFundMe account also attributed the turn of events to domestic violence.
‘As we grieve this unimaginable loss, we want to be clear that Chanelle’s passing is the result of domestic violence — something no child, no family, should ever have to endure. It’s a pain that cuts deep, and our hope is that her story helps bring awareness and protection to others,’ it reads.
