DAVID O.

LEAVITT #5990
Utah County Attorney
DAVID S. STURGILL #7995
Deputy Utah County Attorney
100 East Center, Suite 2100
Provo, Utah 84606
Email: dcourt@utahcounty.gov
Phone: (801) 851-8026
Fax: (801) 851-8051

IN THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT

UTAH COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH

STATE OF UTAH, INFORMATION

Plaintiff,

vs.

ELBERT JOHN PAULE, Case No.

1225 West 1000 South
Orem, Utah 84058 Judge

DOB: 01/26/2000 OTN: ____________________

Defendant.

The State of Utah, by and through David S. Sturgill, Deputy Utah County
Attorney, charges the defendant with the commission of the following offense:

COUNT 1: MURDER, a first degree felony, in violation of Utah Code Ann 76-5-203, in
that on or about February 28, 2019, in Utah County, the defendant, Elbert Paule did:
(a) intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another;
(b) intending to cause serious bodily injury to another, commit an act clearly dangerous
to human life that caused the death of another; or
(c) acting under circumstances evidencing a depraved indifference to human life,
knowingly engage in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another and thereby
caused the death of another.
PROBABLE CAUSE STATEMENT: Steve Norman of the Orem Police Department,
having probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the above-listed offense,
submitted the following evidence in support of the filing of this Information: On or about
February 28, 2019, at approximately 8:00 PM, Dominique Barnett went to Elbert Paule’s
Orem apartment complex—Park Loft Apartments, located at 1225 West 1000 South. Mr.
Barnett and Mr. Paule were acquaintances, and Barnett had gone to Paule’s apartment
(E307) specifically to visit Mr. Paule. Once he arrived to Mr. Paule’s apartment, Barnett
knocked on the door. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Paule opened the door and, without
warning, shot Barnett point blank in the torso with a 12 gauge shotgun. After throwing
the shotgun off the apartment balcony, Mr. Paule fled from the complex. A witness
inside apartment E307 reported seeing Mr. Paule, prior to opening the door and shooting
Mr.Barnett, pick up a shotgun, peak through the peephole and exclaim, “Ah, hell no!”
Prior to fleeing, another witness heard Mr. Paule state, “I just shot that nigga!” Although
Mr. Barnett was quickly transported to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, he
succumbed to the gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at approximately 9:00 PM.
According to the State Medical Examiner that performed Mr. Barnett’s autopsy, the
shotgun blast caused massive trauma to Mr. Barnett’s liver and he quickly bled to death.

NOTICE: A person who is convicted of murder shall be sentenced to imprisonment for

an indeterminate term of not less than 15 years and which may be for life.

Based upon evidence received from Steve Norman of the Orem Police Department, I
have reason to believe the defendant committed the offense as charged herein.

Authorized for presentment and filing this 2nd day of March, 2019.

UTAH COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Sworn to by:

/s/ David S. Sturgill

David S. Sturgill
Deputy Utah County Attorney