By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
Inside a 5th District courtroom Friday afternoon, a mother stood before the two men who chased down her 17-year-old daughter on a dark county road and killed her.
“My daughter should be here alive right now, figuring out what’s next in life,” Kimberlee Dutton said, her voice breaking but steady. “You loaded a gun, got in a truck, and chased my daughter like she was nothing. And when you caught up to her, you pulled the trigger 12 times. Twelve.”
Her daughter, KayLee Dutton, was killed January 17, 2025, after being run down on Lund Highway and Midvalley Road outside Cedar City. She was behind the wheel of her red pickup when the shots came. Her best friend, 18-year-old Sydney Neal, survived, though she was hit with shrapnel and watched as KayLee took her last breaths.
On Friday, Judge Meb Anderson imposed the maximum sentence on both men and ordered the terms to run back-to-back.
Ethan Michael Galloway, 24, was sentenced to 15 years to life for murder, plus five consecutive counts of five years to life for firing 12 rounds into KayLee’s truck.
Michael Hess-Witucki, 23, who drove the pursuing vehicle, was sentenced to 15 years to life for murder and an additional 5 years to life for a single felony discharge count tied to his role in the chase.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately decide how long they serve, but under Anderson’s order, Galloway cannot seek parole for at least 40 years, while Hess-Witucki must serve at least 20.
Anderson also ordered $22,058.25 in restitution, to be paid jointly, and left the amount open for future claims. He declined to impose fines, saying he wanted every available dollar to go to the victims.
‘You became one’
Kimberlee Dutton told the court she still relives the moment she learned her daughter was gone.
“I remember being by the ambulance and opening the door and just screaming, ‘Is that my baby?’” she said. “And it was my baby.”
She reminded the defendants that KayLee was not a stranger. She lived in the same apartment complex, parking her truck steps away from them.
“You didn’t face a threat. You picked a target,” Kimberlee said. “You didn’t take a monster down. You became one.”
She ended with a message from KayLee’s 8-year-old sister. “I asked her what she would want to say,” she said. “She told me, ‘I hope you rot in prison.’ I hope you do too.”
‘Cold-blooded murder’
Karen Hunter, KayLee’s grandmother, described her granddaughter as bright, loving and compassionate — a girl who graduated high school early, held a job, bought her own truck and dreamed of becoming a racer.
“Ethan, my granddaughter was not yours to take,” she said, glaring at Galloway. “If you’d have been any kind of man at all, and not a coward, and confronted KayLee face to face, she would have beat your ass.”
Waylon Dutton, who called himself KayLee’s father “by choice,” spoke of the day she asked him to adopt her and how he never hesitated to say yes.
“I told her she was mine and I would protect her forever,” he said, before turning to the two men. “This wasn’t some heat-of-the-moment mistake. You planned this. You ambushed a teen in the dark, armed with a gun, and hunted her down like an animal. That’s not defense. That’s not justice. That’s nothing but cold-blooded murder. You didn’t just kill a girl — you shattered my family and took my daughter away from me.”
Sydney’s father, Stephen Neal, called the attack “horrible” and “despicable,” saying it scarred both families and the community.
“You murdered my daughter’s best friend and almost killed her,” he said.
What the judge weighed
Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson called the killing “absolutely senseless” and “extremely violent,” pointing out that 12 unprovoked rounds were fired into KayLee’s truck.
“Each pull of the trigger was a separate act of violence,” he said. “Each bullet, a separate harm.”
Dotson reminded the court that Sydney not only survived, but endured unimaginable trauma. He noted how she made the frantic 911 call while trying to perform CPR on her best friend, her hands and clothes stained in blood.
“The deeper scars for Sydney are mental and emotional,” Dotson said. “She’ll carry these for the rest of her life.”
When it came time to sentence Galloway, Judge Anderson said his actions showed “a callous disregard for human life — a premeditated, unjustified and cowardly act.”
Quoting Sydney, he added, “We were teenage girls. We had no idea who they were. They were grown adults. Any one of them could have prevented this, but none of them were mature enough or cared enough to step up.”
Galloway spoke only briefly. “No words I could say will ever change what happened,” he told the family. “I don’t expect forgiveness. I am truly sorry.”
His attorney, Clifford Gravett, acknowledged that even those closest to Galloway cannot explain why he pulled the trigger.
“This wasn’t about money or jealousy or revenge,” Gravett said. “There’s no rational motive. And that makes it all the more tragic.”
When Hess-Witucki’s turn came, his attorney Matt Munson said his client had asked him not to argue for mercy, believing it would be disrespectful to the family.
Hess-Witucki addressed the courtroom himself.
“A woman’s child’s life is so precious,” he said quietly. “She didn’t deserve this. None of you did. I failed everyone. I won’t beg for a shorter sentence. I accept my responsibility.”
Anderson told him bluntly, “You may not have pulled the trigger, but you pushed the gas pedal. You pursued. You accelerated. You assisted Mr. Galloway in ambushing two completely innocent teenagers.”
‘A little lighter’
After the hearing, Kimberlee Dutton said the maximum sentences brought some relief, but not closure.
“Me and my family feel a little lighter after the sentencing of Ethan and Michael,” she said. “I feel like we got the justice that we could have got — the maximum — but it’s just hard to remind myself she’s not coming home.”
She credited Dotson and the victim advocate for their support.
“Chad did an amazing job,” she said. “He’s been incredibly thoughtful. And Jessica has been so helpful through all of this.”
One case remains unresolved. A third man, Matthew Sorber-Petrie, is scheduled for arraignment Sept. 30.
