In the late hours of May 29, 2014, the discovery of a body inside a storage unit in Ogden, Utah, began to unravel a story of a friendship ending in violence. A woman called the police around 10:15 p.m. after finding the deceased in a unit at an industrial park located near 2930 Pennsylvania Avenue. The victim was identified as Elgie Ray Mills Jr., a 43-year-old Caucasian male. Responding officers found the circumstances of the death suspicious and immediately launched a homicide investigation.
An autopsy would later confirm that Mills had been shot twice in the chest and once in the head.
Investigators believed Mills had been killed at least a day before his body was found. Their attention quickly focused on Shawn Gerrald Boehme, a 45-year-old acquaintance of Mills. Police identified Boehme as a person of interest who was believed to have been with Mills around the time of his death. Surveillance video from a neighboring unit proved crucial, showing Mills entering the storage unit around 2:30 p.m. on May 28. Boehme and another individual were already inside. Witnesses later reported hearing loud noises, like gunshots, that afternoon. The footage showed Boehme leaving the storage unit alone a short time later. After the shooting, Boehme fled, abandoning his truck in western Weber County and making it difficult for law enforcement to find him.
The investigation continued, and police located and arrested Boehme in Layton. During interviews with detectives, Boehme admitted to shooting Mills. He explained that he and Mills, who were friends, had gotten into a verbal argument that escalated into the fatal confrontation. Boehme gave investigators multiple and conflicting reasons for his actions, including claims that he felt threatened, that Mills had assaulted his wife, and that Mills was trying to take over the storage unit business.
Shawn Gerrald Boehme was charged with first-degree felony murder and two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person. In court, his defense argued that he was experiencing drug-induced psychosis at the time of the shooting and believed he was acting in self-defense. Ultimately, Boehme pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the charge of murder. He was sentenced to serve 15 years to life in a Utah state prison for the killing of his friend, Elgie Ray Mills Jr.
