Judge denies bail for teen accused of shooting Deserae Turner

Logan • A judge on Tuesday denied bail for the 16-year-old boy accused of shooting of 14-year-old Deserae Turner in February.

First District Judge Kevin Allen ruled that based on findings made in juvenile court, Colter Danny Peterson presents a substantial enough danger that he should not be released into his parents' custody.

Peterson's trial was set for Nov. 1 and is scheduled to last nine days.

Peterson is accused of shooting Turner in the back of the head on Feb. 16, leaving her with lifelong injuries.

He and another 16-year-old boy, Jayzon Decker, are each charged with attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and other crimes.

A bail hearing for Decker, who allegedly helped Peterson plan the shooting, is set for Wednesday.

To support the denial of bail, the prosecutor on Tuesday read a statement from a classmate of Peterson's, in which the classmate called him a "violent person," adding that the teen had bragged he could "easily" murder two girls.

Peterson also had thought about how to execute a school shooting, according to the classmate's statement, which Cache County Attorney James Swink read to the court.

Although Peterson has no prior criminal history, the shooting of Turner was intentional, prearranged and there was "plenty of time for the defendant to step away from the crime," Swink told the judge.

Allen based his ruling to deny bail for Peterson on findings from a juvenile court judge, who earlier this month moved Peterson and Decker's cases to adult court, saying that keeping them in the juvenile justice system was not in the best interest of public safety.

The boys allegedly lured Turner to a Smithfield canal on Feb. 16 under the guise of selling her a pocket knife. The original plan was to slit the girl's throat with knives each boy brought, according to charging documents, but prosecutors allege Peterson ultimately fired a single bullet into the back of Turner's head.

Decker is accused of helping plot the act and encouraging Peterson to shoot. Both boys allegedly took cash and electronics from Turner's backpack after she was shot.

After his arrest, Peterson told police he had become annoyed with Turner for texting and contacting him through the messaging app Snapchat, according to preliminary hearing testimony. Decker told Peterson it would "be pretty easy to get rid of her," a Cache County sheriff's deputy testified. From there, the boys allegedly plotted Turner's death until that February day when they met her at the canal.

Turner's parents reported her missing after she did not return home from school. Two women who knew her family decided to walk a trail near the canal that evening and spotted the girl. They covered her with their coats, the women testified, and called 911. Initially, medics thought the girl needed treatment for hypothermia, according to testimony. Later, they found the gunshot wound.

The shooting left the bullet and several fragments in Turner's brain. The girl's mother has said that her daughter suffers from partial blindness, as well as paralysis and weakening on the left side of her body. Turner, who was hospitalized for nine weeks, is now recovering at her home in the town of Amalga.

The two defendants lived in Smithfield and attended Sky View High School. Turner attended North Cache Middle School in Richmond.

The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes until they are certified to stand trial in adult court, as Peterson and Decker now have been.

tfrandsen@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tiffany_mf