In February 2017, two young men from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA committed a horrific crime. They were only 16 years old.
Colter Peterson and Jayzon Decker wanted to kill a mutual acquaintance, 14-year-old Deserae Turner.
The reason? She was annoying.
Why some young people choose to pick up a gun and commit crimes is a mystery to me. Especially when they come from a good, stable family and have been blessed with caring parents.
Now, while some crimes are not planned at all, this was … and frighteningly so.
Back in 2017, Deserae Turner was a 14-year-old student at Green Canyon High School in a small town called North Logan in Utah. She did good and was an appreciated and talented member of the school’s equestrian team.
Like most teens, she was active on social media and used Snapchat a lot.
One day, while playing video games, Colter told Jayzon that he for some reason was annoyed by Deserae’s pictures and messages on Snapchat.
One thing led to another, and soon the two friends were forging plans to murder her. Jayson Decker told Colter that it would “be pretty easy to get rid of her.”
In 2014, Colter terrorized another girl and tried to get rid of her. Fortunately, that time he failed.
Now he saw his chance again. According to court testimony, murdering Deserae was Decker’s idea – but it was Peterson who was to pull the trigger.
Decker didn’t know Deserae but Peterson was a school acquaintance of her and took on the job to lure the innocent girl to a canal in Logan where Decker was waiting. He pretended to look for a lost ring and then they started to chase Deserae to a remote location and shot her in the back of the head, leaving her in a ditch to die.
But it would get worse.
One could easily imagine that the guys would be terrified by what they were doing. That wasn’t the case.
Instead, they kept the sleeves from the bullets as a souvenir. They also took the $55 Deserae had in her wallet and got rid of her other belongings.
Miraculously, Deserae survived and was found overnight. But her life would be changed forever.
Due to the bullet stuck in her brain, she is now wheelchair-bound and has no use of her left arm. She is also expected to have a shorter life than she otherwise might have had because of the problems caused by the bullet.
To make no mistake, this was no accident. All the circumstances surrounding the crime pointed to the fact that this was a well-planned murder attempt. The only thing that didn’t go according to plan was that Deserae didn’t actually die.
During Colter’s trial, the brave 14-year-old girl had a few well-chosen words to say to the guy who so cold-bloodedly attempted to murder her.
On the court date, the brave young girl stood talking to the guy who had tried to murder her – directly from her wheelchair.
“There are times when I wish I could have given the gun back to Colter and ask him to try again so I don’t have this misery,” Deserae said.
“Welcome to hell, I’ve been here for a year already. You wanted to kill. I was a simple target and took the bullet. You should never be released from prison again. “
After all the young girl has already had to endure, she ended her speech with six strong words that few will soon forget: “I am stronger than a bullet.”
Colter, who cried in court, was tried as an adult. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in the first-degree murder trial, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Jazon was given 15 years for assisting with the attempted murder.
During the trial, Deserae Turner looked at Decker several times while reading a prepared statement.
“When you realize how terrible your life is, don’t you dare blame me for your crappy life,” said Turner according to Cache Valley Daily.
“You are the one who planned a murder and watched Colter pull the trigger. You kept the shell as a trophy. How sick is that? Good luck finding a life in prison, remember that because of you, my life is a prison too. I hope that you are constantly reminded that you tried to kill me. You should know not to mess with me because I am tougher than a bullet.”
Decker didn’t want to look at Deserae, he never made eye contact with his victim during the hearing.
“I don’t really know what to say, but I’m sorry about the things I have done and for the pain I have caused,” he said through tears.
Deserae will always live in pain. She hopes Colter will never forget what he has done to her. Colter will spend many years in a cell, but Deserae will be a prisoner in her own body for the rest of her life.
Now, two years later, Desarae Turner is trying to put her life back together and she has had tremendous support from her family, her classmates, and her community.
In 2019, the then 17-year-old Deserae was crowned homecoming queen.
It thrilled her and left her “bouncing around the house”, according to Deserae. After 10 brain surgeries, she’s still a teenager after all.
Some friends in her community helped the 17-year-old with a beautiful silver tulle dress and they also did her makeup.
Deserae enjoyed a “perfect” night as the homecoming king took her hand and helped her stand on the field while people cheered.
Logan Matz, one of Deserae’s closest friends, lined up as her date for the special evening.
“It just gives you that comfort and love that, yes, I am truly loved,” Deserae said. “Everybody needs to know that feeling.”
Fast forward to 2022 and we can see that Deserae Turner continues to inspire people everywhere. The family continues to update her Facebook page. They recently announced that Deserae has been surgery-free for over 365 days – a big step forward after needing 21 surgeries since her injury.
Deserae’s inspiring journey was recently portrayed in a special documentary aired on KSL 5, called ”Tougher Than A Bullet.”
In February, her parents wrote a very emotional post in which they said that Des is making progress and that she has gained some of her function and mobility. But there is still one before and one after February 16, 2017.
”On this day I reflect on the impact it has on us. It’s been 5 long years for Deserae. Her daily pain, fatigue and suffering, 21 surgeries, living with disabilities, along with navigating teenage years is just the tip of the iceberg,” her parents wrote and continued:
”I wish I could go back and do some things differently in these past 5 years. I wish with all my heart that it never happened. But it did. Our Heavenly Father has always been there with us. He helps daily. We know your prayers have sustained us through some of the worst times. The support and love that Des gets and our family gets is a treasured blessing in our lives. I regret that I can’t/didn’t thank everyone properly. It was so overwhelming for such a long time, that thank you cards for many, never happened. I’m sorry about that. Please know we appreciate all of you. Thank you a thousand times!”
Such a brave and beautiful young lady!
My heart hurts for you but I’m glad you have survived what a strong woman you are❤️❤️❤️ So glad you lived and were able to seek justice for what they did to you Deserae.
This girl is an inspiration to all of us! Sending continued prayers for you! And congrats on going for such a long time!
