‘In the fight of her life’: 14-year-old shot in the head over $55 and an iPod

An iPod, phone, and $55 supposedly motivated two Utah teens to shoot a 14-year-old in the back of her head and leave her for dead.

Deserae Turner was reported missing Thursday evening after she didn’t come home from Sky View High School. The ninth grader was discovered six hours later in a dry canal in Smithfield, Utah, not far from the high school she attends, according to the National Post.

Prosecutors alleged the boys, both 16, lured her to the canal to sell her a knife. From there, one suspect shot her in the head with a .22 caliber handgun before they took valuables from her purse. Smithfield Police Chief Travis Allen said on Tuesday that Turner was “gravely injured” in the attack. A family spokesperson revealed that teen is in a medically induced coma, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The BBC reported that a semi-conscious Turner was found by friends who used her phone to track her location.

“I haven’t seen anything like this case in the 18 years that I’ve worked for Cache County,” Cache County attorney James Swink commented during Tuesday’s press conference. “It weighs heavily upon us in law enforcement to be involved in a case like this.”

Swink alleged the suspects intended to kill Turner with the knife in question but used the handgun as a “secondary weapon.”

Allen claimed authorities recovered the handgun believed to been used in the shooting and items taken in the alleged robbery, the Cache Valley Daily reported.

On Tuesday, the 16-year-olds were charged with first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, and four counts of second-degree felony obstructing justice.

“We know that our Father in Heaven is watching over her and all of us have been touched by her,” family spokesperson Jill Parker said. “We know that He hears and answers prayers, and we can see His hand at work as Deserae continues to make progress. We ask that you continue to respect our privacy at this time.”

Prosecutors hope to try the pair as adults. They are currently held at a juvenile detention center.

[Feature Photo: Handout]