IRON COUNTY, Utah, Sept. 7, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — Two men convicted in the January shooting death of a 17-year-old Iron County girl have been sentenced to prison.
KayLee Dutton was fatally shot Jan. 17 while driving in a pickup truck with a female passenger. Prosecutors said the two teens were pursued and fired upon by Ethan Andrew Galloway and Michael Edward Hess-Witucki, both 23, who claimed they had mistaken the girls for stalkers at their apartment complex.
In June, Galloway pleaded guilty to murder and five counts of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury. Hess-Witucki also pleaded guilty to murder and one count of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury.
On Friday, a judge imposed sentences of 15 years to life for the murder convictions and five years to life for the firearm charges. The sentences for both defendants are to run consecutively, meaning Galloway will spend at least 40 years in prison, while Hess-Witucki will serve a minimum of 20 years.
Other charges were dismissed under the plea agreements.
Exactly how long the convicts serve will be determined by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
According to court records, the shooting began after Dutton and her passenger drove to a townhouse complex west of Cedar City Regional Airport, where the defendants lived with two other men.
The men pursued the truck for several miles after it left the complex and at least a dozen shots were fired as they pulled up to the pickup the girls were in.
Dutton died at the scene, while her passenger, described as a best friend, survived with shrapnel injuries.
Photo: Iron County Sheriff’s Office
