A 71-year-old Utah resident was killed in what authorities described as a random shooting while taking out the trash at his home. Police arrested a 23-year-old suspect weeks later in Las Vegas.
James Randell Witten was shot multiple times on May 30 outside his property off 2000 West in West Point, Utah. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots in the evening as the sun was still out.
The Davis County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Axel Eduardo Chavez during a June 30 press conference. Chavez faces charges including murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct.
Investigators found no evidence that Chavez and Witten knew each other. They searched for a maroon Honda Civic seen leaving the scene and worked with Las Vegas authorities to locate the suspect, who was arrested there on June 16 and later extradited to Utah.
Witten's wife, Maria Witten, told KSTU she believed the attack was "totally random." She said the gunmen "just decided when they were driving down that they were gonna shoot the first person they saw in a yard."