A 14-year-old admitted in court that he killed his 64-year-old neighbor earlier this year in Fairfax.
The child, who is now 14, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, and strangulation on Monday as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
As part of a plea deal, the serious youthful offender indictment and remaining six charges will be dismissed and he will remain in youth detention until he is 21.
Teen Struck the Victim Causing Blunt-Force Trauma Before Strangling Her to Death
In the early morning hours of Feb. 2, Sheila "Denise" Tenpenny was alone at her home on the 3900 block of Germania Street in Fairfax, a Cincinnati suburb. While she lay in bed, the teen, whose identity has not been disclosed, entered her home, struck her, causing blunt-force trauma, and then strangled her until she died.
However, Tenpenny did not die without putting up a fight. According to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, authorities believed the suspect was injured during the crime and likely had visible cuts or bruises on their face or hands. Investigators also determined at the time that Tenpenny's killer was a male.
Authorities arrived at the victim's home and noted that the 64-year-old woman's death was "suspicious." She reportedly had the boy's hair in her hands, his DNA under her fingernails, and had scratched him in the face, causing drops of his blood to have fallen throughout the house.
Teen Did Research Online for Months, Used ChatGPT to Plan the Murder
It was not uncommon for the boy to be on the internet with killing on his mind, authorities said. He planned the murder for months, researching online and asking ChatGPT how to "choose the perfect victim," how to strangle someone, and how to "defeat a police interrogation."
Prosecutors said after the killing, the teen even took to social media to write a post that notified others, "this one was a fighter." Agent Ward with the Bureau of Criminal Investigations said his team is looking into the people the teen was communicating with, including one person they believe is overseas
Ten days after Tenpenny was found dead, with the help of the DNA evidence investigators announced the then-13-year-old, who was Tenpenny's neighbor, was behind the killing and charged him with murder.
