The life of Shawn Laroy Young, a 48-year-old Caucasian male, ended on July 2, 2023, in the remote landscape of Beryl, Utah. That Sunday evening, a resident of a property in Iron County’s Hamblin Valley drove to the nearest town so someone could call 911. The caller reported that a woman had shot a man about an hour earlier. When deputies arrived at the property, they found Shawn’s body in the doorway of a travel trailer.
Shawn had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The state medical examiner’s office would later rule the cause of death to be a contact wound, with the entry point at his right shoulder blade, traveling toward his heart and lungs. He also had a wound on his chest. Evidence at the scene, including an overturned campfire pit and a cooler on its side, suggested that an argument or altercation may have occurred. On a table near Shawn's body, investigators found a pencil and a notebook with the words "I'm sorry" written on it.
The investigation quickly led deputies to Jessica Lynn Sabo, then 42, who lived on the property and was identified as Shawn's girlfriend. They located her on a road about a quarter-mile from the trailer. Authorities noted what appeared to be blood on her socks and shoes. When detectives tried to speak with her, Sabo was reportedly uncooperative and would only talk about unrelated matters. Another person who lived on the property told police that after finding Shawn’s body, they saw Sabo walking down the road holding a shotgun and a water jug.
Jessica Sabo was arrested and charged with murder, a first-degree felony. Further charges were later added, including felony discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and obstructing justice. The firearm, a .410 shotgun, was not recovered immediately. After multiple searches by officers and volunteers, it was found on August 22, 2023, by a resident of a neighboring property nearly four miles away.
In April 2025, Sabo, then 44, entered into a plea agreement. She pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. She also pleaded guilty to one count of illegal discharge of a firearm and one count of use of a firearm by a restricted person. In June 2025, 5th District Judge Meb Anderson sentenced Jessica Sabo to prison for the killing of Shawn Young.
