A 15-year-old Utah girl is being recalled this week as “full of life” with “so many dreams ahead of her” after being reportedly shot and killed in her bedroom early Saturday morning by her 16-year-old boyfriend.
According to KSL, KUTV, and Fox 13, Hezekiah Plummer, 16, is accused of shooting Chanelle Alvarez in the head at point-blank range and killing her before fleeing her family’s home around 3 a.m. on Saturday.
Alvarez, 15, was discovered dead in her bedroom when a family member was woken up by the gunfire and went to check on her, running into Plummer as he exited the residence, according to KSL.
According to court records, when the teenage suspect encountered Alvarez’s family member on a stairwell, “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 detained in a nearby county with over $4,000 in cash and several ounces of marijuana, according to KSL and Fox 13. Plummer was accused by police of disposing of the firearm prior to his detention.
According to media reports, Alvarez’s mother informed police. Plummer, who had previously resided with his girlfriend’s family, arrived to their home at 1 a.m. that morning.
KSL reports that Plummer has been charged with first-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and theft of a handgun. According to the publication, the teen will face adult charges.
“Our hearts are shattered as we share the absolutely heartbreaking loss of Chanelle,” said a GoFundMe page created to assist Alvarez’s family with burial expenses. She had a “beautiful and feisty spirit” and a “contagious laugh,” according to the memorial.
In the campaign, the Alvarez family blamed their daughter’s murder on domestic abuse, saying it is “something no child, no family, should ever have to endure.”
According to KUTV, the 15-year-old was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Ogden, Utah, and attended summer camps frequently.
“She was an absolutely spectacular young woman – so much life,” the church’s pastor, Jeff Stephenson, told the media. “She always smiled in every interaction I had with her. She was loving and empathetic toward others, and her curiosity about life was unparalleled.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.
