On February 11, 2016, the body of a 22-year-old Caucasian male, Chandler Michael Cooper, was discovered by hikers near a desolate trail by the Saltair pavilion in Magna, Utah. A resident of the Holladay-Millcreek area, Cooper had been shot twice, once in the face and once in the chest, in what investigators would later describe as an "execution" style killing. His body was left just a few hundred yards from the intersection of the North Temple Frontage Road and 11500 West.
At the scene, detectives recovered two shell casings, but the murder weapon was nowhere to be found. For years, the case grew cold, leaving family and friends without answers and investigators with a lingering unsolved homicide.
The initial investigation suggested that Cooper was driven to the remote location before he was killed. Friends of Cooper told police that he had no reason to be in that area, leading detectives to believe he was either coerced or forced to go there. Early on, investigators explored potential links to a drug-involved lifestyle, as court records indicated Cooper had faced several drug-related offenses. A friend who was with Cooper on the night he disappeared claimed to have dropped him off in a Salt Lake area, which was the last time he was reportedly seen alive. Despite interviewing Cooper's tight-knit group of friends, the case remained stagnant for eight years with no arrests made.
A break in the long-dormant case came in 2024 when a new detective took over the investigation and decided to rework it from the beginning, utilizing new DNA evidence. This fresh look led to a significant development in September 2025 with the arrest of 38-year-old Casteil "Slim" Franlink Hamlett. Hamlett was charged with murder, aggravated robbery, and obstruction of justice. The investigation revealed a tangled plot centered around a planned robbery. Detectives learned that Cooper and Hamlett had allegedly conspired to rob a local drug dealer who had recently won $14,000 betting on the Super Bowl.
The plan took a dark turn when Hamlett allegedly betrayed Cooper. According to court documents, Hamlett attended a party hosted by the intended robbery victim and informed him of Cooper's plan. At this party, conversations reportedly turned to Cooper being a "problem," and discussions were had about assaulting him, kidnapping him, or even killing him. Investigators believe that after leaving the party, Hamlett picked up Cooper and drove him to the isolated spot near Saltair where his life ended. Further investigation revealed that Cooper had expressed fear of Hamlett to his cousin prior to his death, stating he believed Hamlett would kill him and that it was a matter of "when," not "if." In addition to Hamlett's arrest, another man, Jesse Mascaro, was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to investigators about his communication with Hamlett around the time of the murder.
