Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Four Cedar City roommates were charged Monday in connection with a weekend shooting death of a teen girl.
- Michael Hess-Witacki and Ethan Galloway face murder and firearm charges.
- Aldric Felipe and Matthew Sorber-Petri are charged with obstruction and gun possession.
CEDAR CITY — Four Cedar City men in their early 20s were charged Monday with chasing and gunning down a 17-year-old girl because they believed she was stalking them.
Michael Edward Hess-Witacki and Ethan Andrew Galloway, both 23, are each charged in 5th District Court with murder and 12 counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree felonies; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony; and drug possession, a class B misdemeanor.
Aldric S. Felipe, 21, and Matthew D. Sorber-Petri, 22, were each charged Monday in 5th District Court with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony; and drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.
All four men appeared before 5th District Judge Meb Anderson on Tuesday, and were each scheduled for a bail hearing and detention review on Feb. 4. Three of the men were given separate court appointed attorneys; Hess-Witacki already had private counsel representing him.
On Friday, a black pickup truck driven by Hess-Witacki pulled up next to another vehicle being driven by 17-year-old KayLee Dutton. Galloway fired a dozen rounds into the vehicle, a police booking affidavit states.
Dutton was struck, causing her to swerve off the road and crash through a vinyl fence near the intersection of Midvalley Road and 4300 West. An 18-year-old woman in the passenger seat sustained a shrapnel injury to her leg but was able to call 911.
Deputies used witness interviews and surveillance videos to develop leads in the case.
"After developing many leads, investigators turned their attention to a townhome complex located off Lund Highway at 1645 North and 3200 West. There, they discovered a vehicle that potentially matched the suspect's vehicle description. While at this location, investigators observed a male leaving one of the apartments and walking toward a black Chevy truck. This individual was believed to be the truck's owner and was taken into investigative detention. Subsequently, two other roommates were leaving the townhome and taken into custody for questioning. The fourth roommate was at work but was later located and taken into custody," according to a statement Sunday from the Iron County Sheriff's Office.
Hess-Witucki and Galloway were arrested after being questioned by investigators.
"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 alleges. "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."
Sorber-Petrie is accused of allowing his two roommates to take his gun, knowing it would be used to confront the teen. Felipe is accused of not telling anyone that his two roommates chased after the girl.
"After the shooting occurred, all the involved suspects discussed and had full knowledge of the events leading up to the shooting and after, including recovering the spent shell casings and hiding them in a container within the residence," according to the affidavit.
On Tuesday, Dutton's mother, Kimberlee, posted on her Facebook page, "I'm not sure on when her funeral will be quite yet. But I'm asking anyone and everyone that plans to attend to bring your truck, some of her friends are putting their dirt bikes in the back so we can have one last rev for KayLee so please feel free to do that as well. I've asked some of her friends to get this going as well. Please pass the word along, she was obsessed with the 2nd gens and anything truck and dirt bike related. She would hear one and just go 'mom you hear that? Ahhh' doesn't matter what truck you have it would just be really special for my girl."
"Fly High KayLee" T-shirts are being sold to help raise money for her family. The shirts have the words "Fly High" on the front and a picture of KayLee on a dirt bike on the back.
A GoFundMe* account has also been started "to help with the financial burden the families involved may encounter after this tragic, unexpected loss."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
Contributing: Emily Ashcraft
Correction: A previous version incorrectly listed the judge's name as Meg Anderson. It is Meb Anderson.
