On a summer day in August 2015, the community of Magna, Utah, was shaken by the discovery of a young woman's body. Shelli Marie Brown, a 26-year-old Caucasian female, was found deceased on August 19th in Copper Park. A woman walking her dog that morning came across the scene in the park's baseball stadium and immediately alerted the authorities. When police arrived, they confirmed the tragic finding, and an investigation into her death began.
Investigators soon revealed that Shelli Marie
Brown had been killed by gunfire. The details surrounding the number and location of her wounds were initially withheld as the investigation progressed. Her death was not an isolated incident. Just two days prior, on August 17th, a 26-year-old man named Stevan Chambers was found shot to death in a street just a few blocks away. The close proximity in both time and location led the Unified Police Department to believe the two homicides were connected, noting that Brown and Chambers were acquaintances who shared the same social circle.
For over a year, the case remained a source of concern and grief for the families and the community. However, investigators were diligently working, and their efforts eventually led them to a primary suspect. Brandon Beau Warren, who was an acquaintance of both victims, was charged with their murders. The evidence against him included ballistics confirming that the same handgun was used in both killings. Furthermore, Warren's fingerprints and DNA were found on a sports drink bottle left in a bag near Shelli's body.
After a nine-day trial in June 2023, a jury found Brandon Beau Warren guilty of two counts of first-degree felony murder for the deaths of Shelli Marie Brown and Stevan Chambers. He was also convicted on four counts of felony discharge of a firearm. In October 2023, Warren was sentenced to a lengthy prison term. The judge ordered him to serve two consecutive sentences of 15 years to life for the murders, along with additional time for the firearms charges, ensuring he would spend a minimum of 40 years behind bars. The sentencing brought a long-awaited sense of justice to the families who had endured years of uncertainty and pain.
