Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Two men, Michael Hess-Witacki and Ethan Galloway, were arrested for investigation of shooting and killing a 17-year-old girl.
- They told investigators they followed and shot at her vehicle, believing she and her passenger were "stalking" them, according to a police booking affidavit.
- Sheriff Ken Carpenter expressed sympathy for the victims, stating the teenagers were attacked without reason, and vowed accountability.
CEDAR CITY — Two of the four men arrested in connection with the killing of a 17-year-old Iron County girl said they followed and shot at her vehicle because they thought she and her passenger were "stalking" them, according to investigators.
Michael Edward Hess-Witacki, 23; Ethan Andrew Galloway, 23; Aldric S. Felipe, 21; and Matthew D. Sorber-Petri, 22, were each arrested in connection with the shooting.
Hess-Witacki and Galloway were each arrested for investigation of murder and 12 counts of discharge of a firearm resulting in serious injury; obstruction of justice; possession of a controlled substance; and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. Felipe and Sorber-Petri were each arrested for investigation of obstruction of justice, possession of a controlled substance, and being a restricted person in the transaction of a firearm.
Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter said the 17-year-old girl and her 18-year-old friend were in a red truck, driving along a stretch of road northwest of Cedar City, and were followed by a black truck. At about 10:42 p.m., he said the black truck pulled up alongside the teens and someone inside started firing.
Twelve shots were fired from the black truck, according to a police booking affidavit filed in support of the four men's arrests. The vehicle then fled the scene.
The shots struck the driver of the red truck, causing her to lose control, the sheriff's office said. The red truck swerved off the road, crashed through a vinyl fence and came to rest around 100 feet northwest of the intersection of Midvalley Road and 4300 West.
The passenger in the truck sustained a shrapnel injury to her leg, Carpenter said. He said the passenger was able to call 911.
Lifesaving measures were administered to the teen driver, but she died of multiple gunshot wounds at the scene. Her identity has not yet been released.
The girl who survived the incident told investigators she and the driver had first encountered the black truck at a townhome complex at 1645 N. 3200 West.
While deputies searched the townhome complex, they found a black 2018 Black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that matched the witnesses' description. Hess-Witucki was identified as the registered owner of the truck.
"During the investigation, several witnesses provided investigators testimony stating they observed the suspect vehicle in the same neighborhood described by the surviving juvenile victim passenger. The witnesses also provided investigators with surveillance videos that supported the witness statements and placed the suspect vehicle in the location of the homicide and neighborhood during the reported time frame," the affidavit states.
Deputies received search warrants for the vehicle and home where it was parked. Before executing the search warrants, deputies detained Hess-Witucki, Galloway and Sorber-Petrie in front of the home as they attempted to leave, according to the affidavit.
"During the execution of the search warrant, several firearms and ammunition matching the caliber used in the homicide, similar to the shell casing recovered at the crime scene, were recovered. Additionally, controlled substances and drug paraphernalia were recovered in the suspect(s) residence. Narcotics, including mushroom vapes, marijuana vapes and an assortment of pipes used to smoke marijuana, were identified and recovered," deputies wrote in the affidavit.
Police said in a post-Miranda interview, that both Hess-Witucki and Galloway "admitted to participating in the homicide," according to the affidavit.
Hess-Witucki said he drove the vehicle and pursued the victim's vehicle, the affidavit states, and Galloway said he sat in the front passenger seat and shot at the victim's vehicle.
"Both suspects admitted that their actions had resulted in serious bodily injury and death of the victim. Their justification for chasing the victim's vehicle was they believed they had previously observed the victim's vehicle in their neighborhood and presumed the occupants of the victim's vehicle were (stalking) them," the affidavit states.
Investigators learned that the girls and men were in the same townhome complex for "unrelated reasons."
"At the conclusion of the interview, Ethan wrote a letter of apology to the parents of the victim, describing the reasoning why he chased the victim's vehicle and shot the victim-driver," according to the affidavit.
"Sorber-Petrie admitted that he allowed Hess-Witucki and Galloway to take his firearm, knowing they were going to use it to confront the alleged stocker," the affidavit states. "Felipe remained at the residence with Sorber-Petrie while knowing that Hess-Witucki and Galloway used Hess-Witucki's vehicle to pursue the juvenile victim's vehicle seen driving from their neighborhood."
"Our hearts go out to the families of these two young ladies. They weren't doing anything. They were just being teenagers having fun, and someone violently attacked them and ended their life for no apparent reason at this point," Carpenter said Saturday, with emotion in his voice. "We are dedicated to finding them. We are coming after them, and we will hold them accountable when we find them."
