SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A hearing occurred Friday and determined that a 17-year-old Canton girl should be tried as an adult after she confessed to the murder of her alleged boyfriend's mother, according to officials.
In May, the teen went missing with 33-year-old Jonathan Jones, who was wanted by police. The pair were later found in Mexico, and the teen was charged in connection to the man's mother's death, according to 13 ABC in Toledo.
In May, Sylvania Township police said Canton Police asked them to do a welfare check on Nicole Jones, the mother of Jonathan Jones.
Authorities went to Nicole Jones' home in Toledo on May 5 but were unable to find her. Jonathan Jones and the Canton teenager were found in Ahumada, Chihuahua, Mexico, on May 8.
Jonathan was placed on GPS monitoring due to charges he faced in the Wood County Sheriff's Office related to the teen - pandering obscene material and child endangerment.
After they were found in Mexico, the teen confessed to killing Nicole Jones, police said.
RELATED: Canton teen found in Mexico with 33-year-old man confesses to murder of his mother, prosecutor says
According to police, the teen is a foster child in the custody of Stark County Children Services and was living at a group home before she went missing in May. They said the teen allegedly sent a text message to a group home nurse saying she killed two people and she was on the run.
During the hearing, prosecutors stated that evidence would prove that the teen and Jonathan were in a relationship and that the teen gave him an ultimatum to "take care" of his mother due to the mother's interference in their relationship.
When Jonathan didn't kill his mother in the time frame set by the teen, the prosecutor alleges the teen strangled Nicole Jones while she was looking into the refrigerator before repeatedly striking her with a rock, killing her.
Allegedly, Jonathan was in the living room when this took place but went with the teen to two stores to buy a tarp and garbage bags to wrap and transport the body, taking it to a dumpster at an apartment complex, police said.
After dumping the body, they fled to Mexico before being arrested, authorities said.
The prosecutor stated that the GPS monitoring device was able to track the locations the pair went to, including the two stores and the apartment complex.
During the hearing, Ann Baronas, the teen's attorney, pointed out the teen is a victim of Jonathan Jones, who was not supposed to have any contact with her. Baronas stated that there was no way for investigators to prove the text to the group home was sent by the teen, and the teen couldn't carry out the crime by herself, alleging that the teen was covering for Jonathan.
The teen is charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
RELATED: Mother of man found in Mexico with Canton teen believed dead, police say
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