In the pre-dawn hours of August 17, 2015, the body of a 26-year-old White / Caucasian male, Stevan Ryan Chambers, was discovered lying in a street in Magna, Utah. A longtime resident of the area and a graduate of Kearns High School, he had been killed by a single gunshot wound. The discovery launched a homicide investigation that would soon grow more complex and alarming for the quiet community.
Just two days later, and only a few blocks away, the investigation took a grim turn.
The body of 26-year-old Shelli Marie Brown was found at Magna Copper Park by a woman walking her dog. She too had been shot to death. Unified Police investigators quickly determined that Chambers and Brown were acquaintances who moved in the same social circles, leading them to believe the two homicides were connected. This link between the victims plunged the police into a deeper search for a common suspect and a motive for the brutal killings that had shaken the town.
The investigation into the double homicide stretched on for more than a year. Early in the case, detectives looked into claims that Chambers had been held against his will by several people shortly before his death regarding an alleged assault, though these claims were later found to be false. Police eventually focused their attention on one individual: Brandon Beau Warren. He was an acquaintance of both victims. In October 2016, prosecutors formally charged Warren with two counts of first-degree felony murder for the deaths of Chambers and Brown.
After years of legal proceedings, Brandon Beau Warren faced a jury in June 2023. The nine-day trial concluded with the jury finding him guilty of murdering both Stevan Chambers and Shelli Brown. The conviction, nearly eight years after the killings, brought a long-awaited resolution to the families of the victims. Warren was later sentenced to serve a minimum of 40 years to life in prison for his actions, closing a painful chapter for the community that had been on edge since that summer morning when a young man was found dead in the street.
