In the early morning hours of October 1, 2013, Shallen Demetrius Lestrick, a 34-year-old man, went to a home in Ogden, Utah, excited to visit his newborn child. Just a month old, the baby was a new focus in Shallen’s life. Born on September 3, 1979, Shallen had family and connections in the Ogden area. That night, however, a sense of unease preceded his visit. He reportedly told his mother the 3:00 a.m. invitation from the baby's mother felt like a possible "setup," yet he chose to go anyway, not wanting to miss a moment with his child.
The visit took a fatal turn shortly after he arrived at the residence at 259 29th Street. Shallen and the baby's mother were outside smoking cigarettes when two men in hooded jackets approached them from an alley east of the house. According to investigators, Shallen anticipated the violence, telling his companion, "Just watch, they're going to give it to me." The men opened fire, and Shallen was shot.
Ogden City Police officers responded to frantic 911 calls, one from the baby's mother, who could be heard crying over his body and shouting, "My baby daddy's gotten shot." They found Shallen lying on the sidewalk in front of the home. He had been shot in the back of the head and died at the scene.
The initial investigation by the Ogden Police Department was met with conflicting rumors and a key witness who eventually stopped cooperating. Detectives explored several potential motives. One theory centered on narcotics and a local gang, Ogden Trece. Rumors suggested Shallen was connected to a man known as "Playboy," a purported "shot caller" for the gang, and that money had gone missing. One story alleged that a cartel had demanded, "You either pay the cash or you pay with a life," and that Shallen was made the "fall guy." Police struggled to confirm these rumors.
Another line of inquiry focused on the mother of Shallen's child. Investigators discovered phone evidence that she had been communicating with someone listed as "Secret." Within four minutes of the shooting, "Secret" sent her a text message asking, "are you okay?" Detectives learned that she was in a relationship with this individual just nine days after Shallen's murder, raising questions about a possible love triangle. The woman later hid from police to avoid speaking with them further, stalling a critical part of the investigation.
For years, the case grew cold, leaving Shallen's family, particularly his mother, devastated and without answers. The Ogden Police Department kept the homicide on its active cold case list under case number 2013-80050. Hope for a breakthrough was renewed when the newly formed Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force took a fresh look at the investigation.
As of October 2025, the murder of Shallen Lestrick remains unsolved. The two men who approached him from the alley have never been identified. Investigators with the task force believe there are people in the community who hold the key to solving the case. "It could be narcotics," Ogden Police Detective Douglas Dunbar stated, reflecting on the complex motives. "It could be 'Secret' wanted her for himself." He hopes that someone's conscience, or a desire for justice for a mother who has been destroyed by her son's murder, will compel them to come forward. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force at 801-399-8672.
