A 17-year-old teenager in Utah was shot and left for dead, but two years later her high school crowned her homecoming queen.
Deserae Turner in February of 2017 was shot in the back of the head, and left to die in a dry canal by two of her classmates. After almost a dozen brain surgeries and years of physical therapy, Turner was able to recover from her injuries, according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City.(RELATED: Utah Teacher Taking Heat After Making Fourth Grader Scrub Off His Lenten Ashes)
The two 17-year-old teenagers responsible for shooting Turner, Colter D. Peterson and Jayzon Decker, were sentenced in 2018 to 15 years in prison, according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutor say both Peterson and Decker had planned to “get rid” of Turner while playing video games. The pair used social media to lure her into a canal behind a high school and shoot her.
Turner was awarded homecoming queen Friday by Green Canyon High School in North Logan, Utah.
“I was just a homecoming queen, there’s nothing special about that,” she said to Fox 13. “But if you think about what I’ve been through, yes — it’s very special. It is very awesome.”
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Turner added, “It just gives you that comfort and love that, yes, I am truly loved. Everybody needs to know that feeling.” The teen also hoped that “everyone of us high school girls would be able to experience such a magical night.”
Deserae’s mother, April Turner, shared her excitement on Facebook saying, “Things like this make my heart happy.”
“The homecoming king got down and put my shoe on,” Deserae told the local Fox outlet. “And I totally felt like Cinderella. It was a beautiful moment.”