This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Beaver County woman's boyfriend has been charged with first-degree felony murder after investigators found her shot to death.
The Beaver County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as Desiree Shotwell, 37.
Her boyfriend, Ronald Corey Fordham, 42, was charged Monday in 5th District Court with murder, as well as weapons offense. The murder charge carries a potential life sentence in prison, while the weapons offense carries a sentence of zero to five years.
On Saturday night, someone called the police and "stated that they felt an officer should be sent" to a home southeast of Beaver, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. "The caller stated that a woman who resides at the residence could be in danger of her [boyfriend]."
There had been a domestic dispute and Shotwell had walked outside, Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel said Monday. When she came back, Fordham allegedly shot her with a .357-caliber Magnum handgun, Noel added.
When officers arrived, Fordham, who was uninjured, was lying next to her body with the gun nearby, Noel said.
Fordham was booked into Beaver County jail. No court dates were immediately set.
Utah court records show Fordham's criminal history includes a 2013 conviction for assault on a police officer, driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and carrying a dangerous weapon while intoxicated.
Shotwell was a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker and worked at a local art gallery, Love the Art. She had been interested in the beauty of rocks and gemstones since she was a girl, because of her father, David Penney, according to the store's website.
"She mined with him, went to gem shows, and selling trips," her profile on the website reads. "As she grew in age, size and [stature], she also grew in knowledge of great and beautiful works of art."
— Reporter Bob Mims contributed to this story