Chanelle Alvarez, a 15-year-old girl who was shot dead inside her home, allegedly by her 16-year-old boyfriend on Saturday morning, was a “spectacular young woman,” according to the pastor of a church where she previously attended summer camp programs.
“She was an absolutely spectacular young woman. So much life,” Pastor Jeff Stephenson of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church recalled about Alvarez, according to KJZZ. “Always had a smile on her face, every interaction I had with her. She was caring and compassionate towards other people, and just with curiosity towards life that was unmatched.”
Court records cited by local news outlet ABC 4 said officers from the Ogden Police Department responded to reports of a gunshot wound just before 3 a.m. on Saturday. Alvarez was found shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.
Her 16-year-old boyfriend, Hezekiah Plummer of Clearfield, has been charged with murder, obstruction of justice, theft of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.
“As we grieve this unimaginable loss, we want to be clear that Chanelle’s passing is the result of domestic violence — something no child, no family, should ever have to endure. It’s a pain that cuts deep, and our hope is that her story helps bring awareness and protection to others,” he family said in a statement on a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise $14,000.
Alvarez’s mother told police that she left Plummer in her home with her daughter at around 2:40 a.m. when she left for work. She said Plummer arrived at the residence at about 1 a.m. and stated that he had nowhere to stay.
She explained that she allowed Plummer to come into the home and briefly went to sleep. Plummer reportedly woke her up once when he entered her room. She further stated that a few weeks earlier, she purchased a Glock firearm and stored it in her bedroom. After the shooting, the box for the gun was found inside her daughter’s bedroom.
Another witness living in the home told police that he was sleeping upstairs when the sound of “several gunshots” woke him up. He said one of the shots sounded very close, so he quickly checked on his children before heading downstairs, where he bumped into Plummer.
The witness said Plummer was carrying a firearm, and he claimed someone tried to rob him, but later “fled the residence.” The witness said he found Alvarez and called the police.
An autopsy on Alvarez showed she was shot at close range.
Police are reportedly still searching for the gun that was used in the teenager’s murder. Alvarez’s family indicates that Plummer had previously been allowed to stay at her home for “substantial periods of time.”
“Plummer was known to run away from home and he resided in the home with the victim for substantial periods of time,” police said.
When Plummer was arrested, police say he had $4,000 in cash on his person and several ounces of marijuana.
“The amount (of marijuana) possessed by Plummer was significantly larger than a user would possess and indicative of an intent to distribute,” the police said in a statement.
Plummer is expected to be tried for Alvarez’s murder as an adult. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2021 show that 8.5% of students who had dated in the past year experienced physical violence, and 9.7% experienced sexual violence.
Pastor Stephenson, who has worked in youth ministry for some three decades, told KUTV that even though his experience of youth dating violence is rare, he found it deeply painful.
“This is something no family should ever have to endure,” he told the news outlet. “Absolutely devastating.”
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