LOGAN — A teenage boy who plotted with his friend to shoot and kill a 14-year-old girl was ordered Wednesday to serve up to life in prison.

Jayzon Decker, who turned 17 in December, didn't fire the shot that struck Deserae Turner in the head, but prosecutors have argued he was the first to suggest hurting the girl and then kept the shell casing from the attack as a memento.

"What he did to Deserae was unquestioningly evil," prosecutor Spencer Walsh told the judge. "It is not in the interest of justice to reduce this defendant's sentence in any way."

Decker's attorney, Shannon Demler, asked for leniency for his client, insisting Decker was less culpable for the crime, has no criminal history, and is too young for his brain to be fully matured or developed.

Decker pleaded guilty as an adult to attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. A charge of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, and three additional counts of obstructing justice were dismissed as part of the deal.

First District Judge Brian Cannell agreed with prosecutors, however, saying that as he scoured the law and the details of the case, he saw no option to impose a lesser sentence for Decker's crimes, sentencing him to at least 15 years and potentially life in prison.

"I cannot find you are any less culpable than the codefendant, legally or morally," Cannell said.

He did, however, order that an additional prison term of one to 15 years for obstructing justice run concurrent with the sentence for attempted aggravated murder. Prosecutors had asked that the sentences run back-to-back, putting the boy behind bars for a minimum of 16 years.

The judge went on to praise Deserae as "indomitable," expressing his hope that the now 15-year-old will someday be able to move past her feelings of hate and frustration to find joy in her life.

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Teen who shot Deserae Turner sentenced to 15 years to life

A judge ordered prison Thursday for a teenage boy who shot a 14-year-old girl in the head and left her to die.

Decker and his friend, Colter Peterson, were both 16 when they lured Deserae to an out-of-the-way section of a dry canal on Feb. 16, 2017, as part of a plot to kill the girl. During a preliminary hearing for Peterson in March, police testified the two teens had conspired to "get rid of" Deserae when they grew tired of the 14-year-old's messages on social media.

The teens armed themselves with knives after they agreed that slitting Deserae's throat would be quieter, but brought along a .22 caliber pistol as a backup plan, according to charging documents.

While Peterson has admitted to shooting Deserae in the back of the head, prosecutors have alleged that in order to keep Deserae nearby until the coast was clear, Decker pretended to drop a ring in the mud and asked the girl to help him find it. When the moment came to put the plot in motion, Decker was responsible for giving an agreed upon signal to Peterson, prosecutors said.

The boys then stole Deserae's belongings and left her lying a muddy stretch of the canal, prosecutors said. She survived the cold night for eight hours until she was found by two family friends, but the now 15-year-old girl suffers permanent pain and disability from the bullet still lodged in her skull and the damage it did to her brain.

Peterson pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors in October to attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and an amended charge of robbery, a second-degree felony. As part of the agreement, Peterson was prepared to testify against Decker, if the other teen's case went to trial.

Peterson was sentenced last Thursday to at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

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