LOGAN — Prosecutors have released more details surrounding the death of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Shelly, one day after she was buried by her grieving family and the community. The sex abuse charges provide more graphic details surrounding the abduction and later murder of the 5-year-old girl from her Logan home.
A press release from the Cache County Attorney’s Office said prosecutors had received additional evidence from the Utah State Crime Lab, showing that Alex Whipple allegedly raped and sodomized the young girl before burying her body under debris, a half-block from her home. The additional information is leading to two more charges against the suspect, including rape of a child and sodomy of a child, both first-degree felonies.
The attorney’s office did not disclose exactly where and when the sexual assaults took place. They are also awaiting determination of Lizzy’s cause of death from the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office.
Whipple was arrested May 25 after Lizzy’s family called 911, reporting her missing. He had spent the night at their Logan home after staying up late, drinking and playing video games. Deputies report he had blood on his clothes that matched the young girl’s. Days later he agreed to tell police where her body was located, if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in his case.
Tuesday afternoon, family, friends, and first-responders gathered to remember Lizzy during funeral services at Nyman Funeral Home. Family and members of the community described her as a child who loved everyone, and everyone loved her.
Whipple is scheduled to appear again in court June 24. In addition to the new charges, he faces capitol aggravated murder, child kidnapping, a second-degree felony, two counts of obstructing justice and abuse or desecration of a body, a third-degree felony.
Whipple remains in jail being held without bail. Prosecutors have said they intend to have him locked up for the rest of his life.
If this isn’t an evil creep, I don’t know what is! The more we learn about this sickening case, the more disgusting it gets. I feel like using other words in my anger but I will hold back.
Wow just wow. This guy needed help a long time ago. This is a tragedy for the girls family and his.
It’s a shame our tax dollars get to feed, house, clothe, and guard a piece of pond scum like that for the rest of his life. They should Never have taken the death penalty off the bargaining table. Mental capacity is no Excuse. He didn’t black out if he knew where he dumped her. A hard childhood is no Excuse either. May he burn in the hottest part of Hell Forevermore.
“The rest of his life”, or a couple of weeks, whichever comes first. General Population please!
If the government doesn’t make deals with terrorists then why does our system make deals with children killers ? Did this animal make a deal with his victim HIS niece? Put the death penalty back on the table and if he or his lawyers whine…remind them his innocent victim suffered and they should never forget that !!!!
So, where was Lizzie’s mother while her daughter was being raped and sodomized? Why was she not protecting her daughter?
what an awful thing for you to say! where do you think she would have been HAD SHE KNOWN that this was happening. I don’t ever say this, but you are an idiot!
Admin Please delete this horrible comment!
I hope she was dead before he raped and sodomized her, she would be so confused and many other things that I won’t mention.
Yeah that’s not cool to blame the mother.