CHRISTIAN MILTON CHOATE

BIRTH: December 27, 1995

DEATH: April 5, 2009

Christian Milton Choate ~ Age 13

Christian, 13, was beaten to death by his father and stepmother and left to die in a locked dog cage that was secured with seven locks.

In April of 2009, Christina, Christian’s sister, went to check on him in the place she knew she would find him, in a dog cage locked in. He wasn’t breathing. She went to get their stepmother and she told his sister to preform CPR. The sister said she pumped his chest and used a mattress air pump to push air into his body but to no avail as Christian was already dead.

The police wasn’t called. Instead the father made Christina, Christian’s sister, wrap Christian in trash bags and a blanket and then his father and stepmother drove him to a location where they buried him in a shallow grave and placed a bible on his chest.

For two years it was thought that Christan had run away as that’s what his father and stepmother told people. The school system, DHS, family, or any one for that matter, ever questioned where Christian really was.

His sister, Christina, made contact with her biological mother and told her that Christian was dead. His biological mother called 911. The police made contact with Christian’s father and he lead them to his makeshift grave.

Christian’s life was anything but joyful. He lived a life of hell and even wrote about his experiences and even wanted to die. He just wanted his family to like him, to be able to play outside like other kids, and  be a normal kid. Sadly none of that was ever allowed for him as his family considered him a dog and treated him as such by locking him inside a dog cage until he finally died. When he would ask for something to do, he would be handed paper and a pencil to write. Write is what he did, because he detailed his torture with great detail about his treatment. His stepmother would often write a topic at the top of the paper that she wanted Christian to write about. Christian wrote about how he would have to steal food just to eat, and even use the bathroom on himself because he was locked in a cage for such long periods of time. He often wondered when someone was going to check on him, give him something to eat or even something to drink.

On the day before Christian died, he refused to eat. His father became enraged and punched him in his head with full force several times before throwing him back in the cage. On April 5, 2009, his sister told police she woke up and tried to feed her brother some cereal, but he refused, so she slapped him across the face twice and put him in the cage. She continued to check on him and eventually noticed he wasn’t breathing.

The Indiana Department of Child Services’ inch-thick case file on the Choate family details more than a dozen investigations of allegations of abuse or neglect dating to 1999.

Christian died in early 2009 of blunt force trauma injuries and a skull fracture, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.

Riley Lowell Choate, 39, and stepmother, Kimberly Leona Kubina, 45, were arrested on many charges in relation to Christian’s death, including murder, felony counts of battery, confinement and removing a body from a death scene or altering a death scene, three felony counts of obstruction of justice and three felony counts of neglect of a dependent.

The trial is set to start soon and I pray they both get their just punishment.

OTHER LINKS:

Christian Choate, 13, Buried By His Family Two Years Ago (and No One Noticed)

Dad, stepmom charged in murder of boy found under concrete slab

Riley Choate, wife charged with murder in death of 13-year-old son

Preliminary autopsy results rule Gary boy’s death a homicide

Police release more details about boy’s death

Top DCS staff members to review Choate’s death

Couple plead not guilty during initial hearings in Christian Choate’s death

Boy Who Died Locked in Cage Wrote About Wanting His Family to Like Him

Who knew Christian Choate was being abused?

Christian Choate one of two region boys to die as doctors kept quiet

Christian Choate’s Sister Admits She Beat Him

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FOR MORE INFORMATION JUST GOOGLE CHRISTIAN’S NAME

DEVIN LEE PARSONS

Devin Lee Parsons ~ Age 12

BIRTH: April 17, 1999

DEATH: June 3, 2011

Devin, 12, was beaten to death by his mother over a course of hours because he hid her pills from her.

Tasha Parsons has been charged with murdering her 12-year-old son after she admitted to beating him to death for hiding her pain medication.

Tasha allegedly beat her son with her fists, hands, a leather belt and metal kitchen tray for several hours when he refused to reveal where he had hidden her Percocet pills.

When the boy lapsed into unconsciousness the mother of three left him for several hours before calling an ambulance.

Devin was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police revealed Tasha”s boyfriend, 30-year-old Waldo Jones, was present during the alleged beating but did nothing to help the youngster.

When arrested at the family home in Louisville, Kentucky, he was found covered in the boy’s blood but claimed this was from cleaning up his wounds.

Family members said Devin hid the prescription pills because they changed his mother’s moods.

Tasha’s two other children were taken into care following the alleged murder.

She has been charged with murder while Waldo Jones faces a felony charge of neglect of a dependent causing death.

Tasha could face up to 45 years in prison for the murder of her son.

OTHER LINKS:

Woman charged with murder after 12-year-old found dead

Mother accused of beating son, 12, to death after he hid her pain pills as her boyfriend stood by

Officials: Greensburg Child Death Crime Scene ‘Horrific’

Group Pushes For Change After Boy’s Beating Death

Coroner: Boy Fatally Beaten ‘From Head To Toe’

Greensburg child abuse victim laid to rest Thursday

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DEANNA CREMIN

BIRTH: March 26, 1978

DEATH: March 30, 1995

Deanna Cremin ~ Age 17

Deanna, 17, was found strangled to death behind a senior apartment complex.

Deanna followed her usual Wednesday routine of going out with friends and visiting her boyfriend. Her curfew was 10 pm; when she was not home by midnight, her mother tried unsuccessfully to reach her on her pager.

Her boyfriend, considered the last person to see Deanna alive, admits walking her home that night, but says he left her halfway, as he often had during their year-long courtship.

Deanna’s body was found less than a block from her home. She was found by two children she babysat for, taking a shortcut on their way to school. Her body was lying on its back, and mostly undressed.

Police identified three men as persons of interest in the crime: Deanna’s teenage boyfriend; a Somerville firefighter more than twice Deanna’s age, said to have been fixated on her; and a third adult man, later imprisoned at Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction but no charges were pressed. In 2005, Middlesex district attorney announced new forensic evidence had been found with procedures unavailable in 1995, raising hope of progress in the case, but again no charges were pressed.

In 2009, current Middlesex district attorney stated that the murder would be solved, but law enforcement needed witnesses who had remained silent to come forward. Deanna’s family erects a billboard each year since her death, to offer a reward for information about the killer. At the bottom of the billboard, a quote reads: “You know what you did to me. How much longer must I wait! Please help make my time in heaven restful.” The reward has grown from $10,000 in 1995to $20,000 by 2005.

Deanna’s murder remains unsolved.

OTHER LINKS:

`Everybody loved her’ Somerville shocked by murder of girl, 17

1,000 mourners bid farewell to slain Somerville teen-ager

Mother of murder victim survives, organizes for daughter

Anguish drives mom’s quest for daughter’s killer `I will not let this go’

Teen’s unsolved slaying weighs heavily on mom

A mother’s renewed hope for justice

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LAVAL CRAWFORD, JR,

BIRTH: February 19, 1991

DEATH: September 13, 2008

Laval Crawford, Jr ~ Age 17

Laval, 17, was shot and killed in his front yard.

Just before the murder, 5 armed individuals went to another house looking for Laval’s home. They angrily left the home when they would not provide them with Laval’s contact information.

 A short time later they knocked on the door of his home and Laval’s girlfriend answered the door and they asked for Laval but she said he wasn’t there. They pushed their way in and told her to call him and tell him to come home as they threatened her with the guns.

Once Laval arrived outside the house, the men went out through the front door and began firing their guns. Laval was crawling on the grass after having been shot, and one of the shooters walked up to Laval and shot him again at close range.

Diego Galvan, Raul Gavin, Bryan Valentin-Cintron, and Jean Valentin-Cintron were charged with first-degree murder, first-degree home invasion and felony firearms.

Diego, Bryan and Jean were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Raul was found not guilty of murder but  found guilty of carrying the AK-47 used to murder Laval. He was sentenced to time served and three years probation.

OTHER LINKS:

Suspects arraigned in Saturday slaying

Outburst disrupts Pontiac court hearing

3 get life, no parole, for AK-47 murder in Pontiac

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MACKENZIE NICOLE COWELL

BIRTH: April 1, 1992

DEATH: February 9, 2010

Mackenzie Nicole Cowell ~ Age 17

Mackenzie, 17, disappeared after leaving school and 4 days later her body was found on the banks of a river.

Mackenzie was last seen leaving a beauty school class. Her locked car was found that night about 40 miles from her home. Her purse and some clothes were found in the car, but her debit card was missing. A single set of footprints were found outside the car.

4 days later her beaten and stabbed body was found on the banks of a river. She had been beaten about the head, stabbed in the neck and strangled to death.

Christopher Scott Wilson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He tried to amputate her arms after he killed her.  He killed Mackenzie because he had a fascination with violent death.

Tessa Marie Schuyleman was arrested on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance and obstructing a public officer. The charges sought by police do not claim Schuyleman was an accomplice in Mackenzie’s murder. Rather, investigators believe she impeded their probe after the fact.

Schuyleman at first told police she had “no recollection of the events surrounding Cowell’s disappearance and murder, and no information regarding Wilson’s involvement” in the death, the news release said.

But investigators later found pictures and videos from Wilson’s computer and Schuyleman’s cell phone that seemed to suggest she’d lied, including a video from her phone that depicted her “entering Wilson’s apartment, moving aside a coffee table in the living room, and focusing the camera on the clearly visible stain lab tests later determined was the dried blood of Mackenzie Cowell.”

Another video recorded depicts Wilson “asking Schuyleman if the apartment is clean. Schuyleman replies, ‘Considering what happen…ing?’ At the end of the video, Schuyleman focuses the camera on the location of the rug where the blood stain was later found by investigators. The stain was only slightly discernable indicating it had been cleaned since the first video (four) days prior.”

Images from Wilson’s computer showed Schuyleman posed on the floor of the apartment as if dead, lying in the same location where the blood stain was found.

The trial of  Christopher Scott Wilson is scheduled for May 22, 2012

OTHER LINKS:

Investigation continues in mysterious disappearance of 17-year old Mackenzie Cowell

Police believe body found is missing Wenatchee teen

Girl’s body found positively identified as Mackenzie Nicole Cowell

Homicide victim was not sexually assaulted

Teen was stabbed, strangled

Arrest made in Cowell murder

Court documents shed light on case

Charges still to come for woman implicated in Cowell case

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DANI “D.J.” JENEE’ COUNTRYMAN

BIRTH: May 6, 1992

DEATH: July 28, 2007

Dani Jenee' Countryman ~ Age 15

Dani, 15, was strangled to death by two men that were attempting to rape her at a party she was attending with her sister, Ashley.

Dani had spent the previous three weeks visiting her half-sister, Ashley, and her grandmother who lived together in Oregon City, Oregon.  She was scheduled to return home the next day, but Ashley had planned a going away party for her sister in nearby Milwaukie.  About 20 people showed up to the party.

Ashley discovered her sister’s lifeless body amongst some of the other sleeping party attendees.  Dani had last been seen on an apartment balcony.  Ashley immediately called police and an investigation began with interviews of several people cops had linked to the case.  The county medical examiners ruled that Dani’s death was due to strangulation. 

After a week and a half of interviews and pouring over forensic evidence, cops made two arrests in Dani Countryman’s murder investigation. 

Alejandro Rivera-Gamboa and his cousin, Gilberto Gamboa were charged with the aggravated murder of  Dani. 

According to a statement of probable cause filed, Alejandro Rivera-Gamboa told police during an interview that he awoke the night of the party to find his cousin, Gilberto Arellano-Gamboa, on the floor on top of Dani.

“The girl had been struggling and Arellano asked Rivera for help,” the court document said. “Mr. Rivera admitted that he had held her down with his foot on her throat until she stopped moving.”

A shoe seized from Rivera-Gamboa was found to have blood on it, and the pattern on the shoe was consistent with the imprint pattern found on Dani Countryman’s chest.

Tiny Dani, 5 feet tall and weighing 95 pounds, struggled against her would-be rapist. DNA evidence found under Dani’s fingernails (from scratching her assailants) would prove critical in proving the guilt of the two foreign nationals. Gilberto, asked his cousin, Alejandro Rivera-Gamboa, to “shut her up.” The 5 foot, 10 inch, 180 pound illegal alien crushed her windpipe by standing on her neck until she was no longer breathing.

Alejandro Rivera-Gamboa plead guilty to the murder of Dani and was sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after 35 years.

Gilberto Arellano Gamboa, was sentenced to six years in jail for attempted sexual abuse.

Shon Jerrod Estes, had charges of sexual abuse and attempted rape dropped in exchange for a plea in Clackamas County Circuit Court. Shon Estes was sentenced to 45 days in jail, followed by 24 months of probation.

OTHER LINKS:

Texas Teen Found Strangled In Oregon Apartment

Attempted rape led to teen’s death

Arrests Made In Death Of Texas Girl

Suspects in girl’s murder admit they entered the U.S. illegally

The Victims of Illegal Alien Crime

Man admits abusing teen killed during party

Family of murdered teen sues county

Illegal immigrants get prison time in teen’s murder

Other Coverage of Dani’s Murder

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BERLYN FUENTES COSMAN

BIRTH: September 2, 1973

DEATH: June 2, 1991

Berlyn Fuentes Cosman ~ Age 17

Berlyn, 17, was shot in the head and killed as she laid sleeping at a post prom party.

A witness told the jury that he was sleeping next to Berlyn on a fold-out couch just before dawn when the door opened, light streamed in and two people came into the room.

A moment later, one of the people appeared in the doorway with a revolver, but the friend said he “didn’t think anything of it” because  the person had been waving the weapon all night.  The friend said said he put his head back down on the mattress, but seconds later, he heard a gunshot.

“I looked down and I seen the blood coming from her,” the friend testified. “(I said) ‘She’s been shot, she’s been shot.’  I had a towel on Berlyn’s head. I was yelling at her to breathe.”

Paul Michael Crowder was charged in the murder of Berlyn and convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

Her father, Mark Cosman, wrote a book, “A Father’s Unraveling: When Tragedy Strikes, Will The Self You’ve Made Survive?” about the murder of Berlyn and coping with the aftermath.

OTHER LINKS:

Prom Night Slaying Called ‘Accidental’

Teen Witnesses Set to Testify in Prom Night Slaying Trial

Court Stay Halts Prom Night Trial

Teen Describes Last Seconds of Girl’s Life

Shot Girl Accidentally, Crowder Testifies

Prom Night Killer Gets Near-Maximum Term

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ARMANDO CORTEZ

BIRTH: December 25, 1990

DEATH: December 24, 2007

Armando Cortez ~ Age 16

Armando, 16, was beaten and shot to death while parking his car to attends a friends birthday party. He was mistaken for a rival gang member. 

After Armando dropped off his girlfriend at the entrance to where the  party was taking place he then went to park his car behind nearby school. As he pulled into the parking lot, he was attacked by a group of 10 people leaving the party, who thought he was a member of a rival gang. Right after he exited the car they started beating him with a bat. Then someone walked up and shot Armando 5 times. 

Armando wasn’t involved gangs and was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jonathan Homesley, 16, was arrested and indicted as an adult on a charge of first-degree murder.

Joseph Rondon, 19, of Plant City was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, burglary of an occupied vehicle and criminal mischief. He is free on bail.

Bartow police are still seeking Juan Gutierrez, 21, of Plant City. Gutierrez faces charges of aggravated battery and criminal mischief.

OTHER LINKS:

Tampa Teen Held In Bartow Slaying

Polk County 2007 Homicides

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TARA CORREA-MCMULLEN

BIRTH: May 24, 1989

DEATH: October 21, 2005

Tara Correa-McMullen ~ Age 16

Tara, 16,  an actress, was shot to death outside an apartment complex.

Tara made her debut at the age of 14, when she won the role of a gang member on the TV show “Judging Amy.” She played the part of the gang member  Graciela in eight episodes of “Judging Amy” and had made her big screen debut earlier this summer in REBOUND, opposite Martin Lawrence.

Tara and her boyfriend and a few others were standing outside the apartment complex when someone walked up and suddenly, there was a hail of bullets, three people were hit in what police described as a “walk-up gang-related shooting.” Tara was hit five times and she died at a hospital less than 3 hours later.

Damien Watts, was convicted in 2009 for the murder of Tara. He was found guilty on 2 counts of first degree murder and 6 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

OTHER LINKS:

Tara Correa-McMullen Murdered at the Age of 16

Slain Young Actress Is Mourned

Rising Star, Tragic End

A teen’s TV gang role became all too real

Damien Watts Convicted of Killing Tara Correa-McMullen

Damien Watts found guilty of killing Judging Amy actress Tara Correa-McMullen

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DANIELA CORONADO

BIRTH: April 4, 1990

DEATH: October 24, 2007

Daniela Coronado ~ Age 17

Daniela, 17, was murdered in her bed by her ex-boyfriend.

Pedro Blancas is accused of strangling to death of Daniela Coronado, his girlfriend and the mother of his son, who was 11 months old when she died. He immediately fled to Mexico, and her family members have been frustrated in their quest for justice for her.

Police said he choked her with an electrical cord once before, and she left him but allowed him to return to see his child. A friend found her dead in her bed with a cord around her neck. The friend had called the evening before and Pedro Blancas told her that Daniela was in the shower, according to police reports. She never heard from Daniela and came to the apartment the next day to check on her.

Police found the baby with Pedro Blancas’ mother, who said he dropped the child off the night before and she did not know his whereabouts.

In April 2010, Coronado’s family heard Pedro Blancas’ name read in church on a list of the dead. His family told friends that he had committed suicide in Mexico but her loved ones said they didn’t believe that.

“In Mexico, you can pay money and get anything you want,” Brenda Coronado, the victim’s sister, said in an interview at that time. “They are pretending he is dead.”

Police asked for help from federal marshals based in Mexico, but learned nothing new for months.

He said that the victim’s family now is convinced that Pedro Blancas is dead.

Police received the record and photographs recently via fax. The death record states that the victim was asphyxiated. A large tattoo of a marijuana leaf appears to be the same as the one on Blancas’ arm. The swollen face of the dead man resembles Pedro Blancas, police acknowledges, but there are differences that bother them.

They bother him enough to keep the case open and the murder book close by, just in case.

“The family is OK that he is dead,” police said. “This is probably as good as I’ll ever get that he is dead but somehow, I’m just not convinced.”

Pedro Perez Blancas, 20, is wanted for murder in connection with the strangulation of Daniela Coronado, 17, on Oct. 24. He also goes by Pedro Blancas Jr. and Pedro Blancas Perez. He is 5 feet, 6 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about the crime or Blancas’ whereabouts should call Denton police or call Denton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Tipsters will remain anonymous.

OTHER LINKS:

City puts its most wanted on Web

Murder suspect’s fate subject of debate

Murder case to remain active

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QUINTAE JHYKE COOPER

BIRTH: August 4, 1995

DEATH: June 1, 2008

Quintae Jhyke Cooper ~ Age 12

Quintae, 12, was shot in the back and killed by a driveby shooter while he was at the park with about 15 other children.

While at the park, a  car pulled up and someone fired “four or five” shots in a group of 15 children ranging in the ages of 3 to 14.

Quintae’s murder remains unsolved.

OTHER LINKS:

Drive-by shooter slays Saginaw 12-year-old

Saginaw mourners hold vigil for 12-year-old slain in drive-by

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GREGORY LOUIS AND RANDY NICOLE COONTZ

Gregory "Greg" Louis ~ Age 14 and Randy "Nikki" Nicole Coontz ~ Age 10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gregory “Greg” Louis Coontz

BIRTH: January 27, 1994

DEATH: March 27, 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Randy “Nikki” Nicole Coontz

BIRTH: January 6, 1998

DEATH: March 27, 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greg, 14 and his little sister Nikki, 10, were shot and killed by their mother as they slept.

Gail Coontz, their mother, then left the house and took a hostage at the college she was attending.

I have not been able to find a reason for these senseless murders. A clear motive has never been given or written.

Gail Coontz was charged with two counts of murder and terrorist threats. She plead guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life.

OTHER LINKS:

Mom Kills 2 Kids Then Hits Campus

Boy, Girl Found Dead In ‘Sleeping Position’

Ky. mom kills own children, threatens college

Slain Siblings Buried Next To Father

What led Gail Coontz to allegedly murder her kids

Educators who knew the murder victims talk

Kentucky Woman in University Hostage Situation Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Children

Prosecutors offer plea deal in Gail Coontz case

Gail Coontz pleads guilty to murder

FIND A GRAVE ~ Greg

FIND A GRAVE ~ Nikki

JAMIE ALAYNE COOKSEY

BIRTH: August 8, 1976

DEATH: September 4, 1990

Jamie Alayne Cooksey ~ Age 14

Jamie, 14, was sexually assaulted and strangled to death by a released sexual offender on her way to her friends house to go to school.

Jamie normally rode the school bus to school, but had decided to ride her bicycle to her friends house before school that morning and they would walk the short distance to school together. After school, the girls were going to do some homework and hopefully go see a football game that evening.  Jamie gave her kisses good-bye to family and she took off for school on her bike. This was the last time she would be seen alive.

Jamie’s mother received a phone call at work from the school telling her that Jamie didn’t show up for her morning classes. Jamie’s mother found this disturbing as she knew Jamie loved to go to school and would never skip her classes. She contacted the friend that Jamie was supposed to see and found out she never made it to her house that morning.

Linda Cooksey, Jamie’s mother, contacted the police department and were told they didn’t have time or manpower to search for every child that didn’t show up for school. She and her husband took off from work to search for Jamie. They retraced her path and Jamie’s father found her bike and book bag filled with all her books hidden in the weeds.

The took the bike home and called the police again. Jim Cooksey, Jamie’s father, decided to run back to the park where he found Jamie’s bike to look for Jamie.

He did. About 200 feet from where he found her bike and book bag he found Jamie’s body. When police finally arrived, her father was immediately taken to the police department for questioning but was released hours later.

One month later a sexual predator confessed to Jamie’s rape and murder. Richard Alan Moorman was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

OTHER LINKS:

STATE OF MINNESOTA v. RICHARD ALAN MOORMAN

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CONNER HOGAN CONLEY

Conner Hogan Conley ~ Age 10

BIRTH: May 29, 1999

DEATH: November 28, 2009

Conner, 10, was knocked unconscious with a headlock, then his limp body dragged to the kitchen, choked for nearly 20 minutes, until blood ran from his nose, to make sure he was dead.

The killer – Andrew Conley, Conner’s older brother.

Andrew, 17,  then wrapped his little brother’s head in a plastic bag and sealed it with electrical tape. He claimed he did so to prevent any blood seepage. He then tossed Conner’s body into the trunk of his car and drove to his girlfriend’s home.

While there, the young couple watched the movie “The Green Mile,” based on a story by Stephen King about a man on death row accused of murdering a child. Conley’s girlfriend stated that he gave her a “sweetheart ring” and that “he was happy. More happy than he’d been in a while.”

Afterward, Andrew drove his brother’s body to a nearby park where he dumped the body in field. He then covered his little brother’s dead body with vegetation and drove home.

When Andrew’s parents returned home they asked the whereabouts of Conner. Andrew told them he had taken his brother to their grandmother’s home and that he was spending the night there. The parents thought nothing of it as it was not unusual for their boys to stay over at their grandmother’s.

Later the next day, his parents told him to pick up his brother from his grandmother’s home. That’s when he told them what he had done. He also told two friends about the murder.

Andrew claimed he felt compelled to strangle his little brother. “Like I had to… like when people have something like they are hungry and there is a hamburger sitting there and they knew they had to have it and I was sitting there and it just happened.”

He was charged as an adult and plead guilty to first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

OTHER LINKS:

Andrew Conley, 17, charged with murder in the death of his brother

Alleged “Dexter” Killer Andrew Conley Pleads Not Guilty

Andrew Conley pleads guilty

Teen who strangled brother gets life in prison

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MAKIA ANN CONEY

BIRTH: February 7, 1993

DEATH: February 10, 2010

Makia Ann Coney ~ Age 17

Makia, 17, was shot once in the back of the head and once in the face, at point blank range, for nothing other than the two killers wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone.

The pair had hatched their plot while sitting in a geometry class at their school. As they left class they bumped into Makia and persuaded her to join them as they walked into some woods near their Christian school.

After their arrest the teens said they had been planning to commit armed robberies and wanted to know what it would be like to have to shoot someone. They said they had chosen Makia as their victim as she had trusted them and went willingly when they left school.

Charles Roy Southern, 17, and Connor Julian Pridgen, 16, voluntarily went to police and said they shot Coney in the head. They were charged with first degree murder and sentenced to 40 years to life for the murder of Makia. They have to serve at least 40 years before they can apply for parole.

OTHER LINKS:

Jacksonville police confirm remains of University Christian student

University Christian School Confirms Death of Student, Homicide Probe Continues

University Christian classmates admit to killing Makia Coney

Two of Makia Coney’s schoolmates charged in her slaying; dozens attend vigil

Jailed for 40 years, the two teenage boys who executed a ‘trusting’ classmate

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