In Michigan, a mother and her son are facing serious legal repercussions as they prepare to go to trial on elevated charges in connection to the tragic death of a 17-year-old girl, London Thomas. This case, which has garnered significant attention, took a pivotal turn following a pivotal preliminary hearing.
Jalen Pendergrass, along with his mother, Charla Pendergrass, aged 49, now find themselves charged with first-degree murder. This development comes after a four-hour preliminary hearing, as reported by WXYZ, which has brought new gravity to the case.
The heartbreaking sequence of events began on April 5, when Thomas was last seen at the Carlysle Street home of Jalen Pendergrass, located near Inkster Road. The situation quickly escalated, prompting a police search of the residence with assistance from the FBI, as detailed by CrimeOnline.
Significant progress in the investigation occurred three weeks later when Thomas’s body was discovered under chilling circumstances. Her remains were found inside a plastic bin in an SUV, a discovery made possible after receiving a tip from a friend of Charla Pendergrass. This friend alleged that Charla had requested help on April 7 to transport a sealed plastic bin, the contents of which were unknown at the time, according to prosecutors.
The discovery took place on April 26, and a subsequent autopsy concluded that Thomas died from asphyxia, categorizing her death as a homicide. Initially, the Pendergrasses were facing charges of second-degree murder, but these have since been upgraded in light of new evidence and developments in the case.
The Pendergrasses were charged in October with second degree murder.
A former girlfriend of Pendergrass, Lanyja Wilkerson, testified on Thursday that he sent her a very specific song lyric by rapper NBZ Youngboy after Thomas’s disappearance.
“Put the b**** up in the trunk, her family will never see her again,” Wilkerson said, recounting the lyrics.
Wilkerson further testified that her ex-boyfriend confessed what happened on April 5, telling her two different stories. In the first story, Pendergrass said that Thomas and his mother got into a fight and then he beat Thomas and tired up her up. Then, Wilkerson said, Pendergrass told her his mother told him to “get angry” and “to kill her.”
Wilkerson also testified that Jalen Pendergrass later confessed to her about the night of April 5. She said he told her two different stories, and in the first story he said Thomas and his mother got into a physical fight at his home, after which he beat Thomas and tied her up.
He told me that he pulled her out the bed, he stood her up, grabbed a belt and choked her until she fell,” she said.
After the hearing, Thomas’s mother, Jasma Bennett, called the upgraded charges “one small step toward justice for London and our family.”
The Pendergrasses will now be tried on the new charges.
