A 14-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to murdering a 64-year-old woman in Fairfax, Ohio.
The boy pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated burglary and one count of strangulation during a court hearing on November 10, according to local ABC affiliate WCPO.
The boy – who was 13 years old at the time of the crime in February – will be held at the Department of Youth Services until he turns 21 years old. According to the outlet, 21 years old is the oldest a juvenile inmate can be detained by the department.
Victim Sheila Denise Tenpenny was found dead inside of her home on February 2, according to WCPO. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office said that Tenpenny had trauma to her head and neck before her death.
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Prosecutors claimed the boy broke into Tenpenny’s home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. and found her asleep in her bed before he began his attack, according to WCPO.
The boy – whose name has not been publicly revealed – was linked to the crime after police found his blood inside of Tenpenny’s house. It’s believed Tenpenny fought back and scratched his face at the time of the assault, while she was gripping a lock of his hair at the time she died.
NBC affiliate WLWT reported that Tenpenny’s brother discovered her body and he alerted the authorities about her death. “I think my sister’s been murdered,” he said during a 911 call, according to audio obtained by the outlet. “She’s got her head covered with a pillow, her legs exposed.”
Ten days after Tenpenny’s death, the teenager was charged in connection with the murder on February 12.
During the trial, prosecutor Linda Scott said that the boy had been plotting the murder for months. She noted that he “researched how to strangle someone, how to do it, how to find a victim,” per WLWT.
Additionally, Scott said the boy “notified his social media people” after he killed Tenpenny. “This one was a fighter,” he allegedly wrote in a social media post, according to prosecutors.
A Bureau of Criminal Investigations agent reiterated Scott’s claims, saying the teen researched “how to defeat police interrogation.” Meanwhile, amid police investigation, it was learned that he allegedly wrote in one message, “I think I just got caught.”
It’s not currently clear if the boy had any connection to Tenpenny, though neighbors told WCPO that he lived nearby his victim.
Several of Tenpenny’s family members spoke during the trial, while Tenpenny’s brother-in-law, Troy Navarre, directly addressed the teen.
“For the juvenile murderer — I do feel sorry for you,” Navarre said, per WCPO. “Sorry that you had a family that did not teach you right from wrong. For the family of the murderer, I’m sorry for you too. Sorry that you appear to not know how to teach your offspring the difference between right and wrong. Maybe you don’t even know it yourself.”
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Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Agent David Ward also spoke during the trial, admitting he’s never seen someone so young commit such a violent crime during his 20-year career.
“I must say this is the first time I’ve ever had a person of this age commit this type of crime,” Ward said. “And to add to that the premeditation of the offense is just chilling to me. As the investigation went on and continued, his social media communications with individuals … there were several other communications that are very disturbing.”
