On the evening of June 28, 2023, Russell Allen Evans, a 50-year-old White/Caucasian male, was shot and killed in his backyard in West Haven, Utah. Evans had stepped outside his home near 4300 S. 4700 West to have a cigarette when the incident occurred. A witness inside the house heard multiple "pop sounds" and looked outside to see a male standing with his arms outstretched as if holding a gun. First responders found Evans unresponsive and immediately began life-saving measures.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect in the fatal shooting was quickly identified as Dallas Wade Martineau, 40, of Roy, Utah, who was Evans' brother-in-law. Less than half an hour after the shooting, authorities apprehended Martineau at his home. According to charging documents, Martineau had driven to Evans' home and hidden in the backyard, waiting for him to come outside.
During questioning by investigators from the Weber County Sheriff's Office, Martineau allegedly confessed to the crime, stating that the shooting was premeditated. He admitted to lying in wait with the gun in his hands and listening to conversations inside the home. Martineau told authorities that when Evans came outside, they made eye contact before he shot him multiple times and then fled the scene. While he admitted to the premeditated nature of the act, a specific motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed. Martineau was subsequently charged with first-degree felony murder and held in the Weber County Jail without bail.
