Mom Accused of Orchestrating ‘Campaign to Lie’ to Police After Allegedly Helping Son, 23, Kill His Teen Girlfriend

A mother is being accused of many times lying to rule enforcement while trying to screen up nan alleged murder of her son's teenage girlfriend successful Michigan.

On Friday, Oct. 17, Charla Pendergrass, 49, and her boy Jalen, 23, were each charged pinch 1 count of second-degree execution and tampering pinch grounds successful relationship pinch nan decease of 17-year-old London Thomas, CBS News and Detroit ABC connection WXYZ reported.

During their arraignment proceeding successful Wayne County, nan prosecutor’s agency accused Charla of showing a “willingness to beryllium deceptive.”

"This is simply a lawsuit wherever I judge nan grounds will beryllium abundant that some defendants, but peculiarly Ms. Charla Pendergrass, engaged successful an extended run to dishonesty to police, dishonesty to rule enforcement to screen up her actions," said nan prosecutor’s agency successful video footage from nan hearing, per WXYZ.

The charismatic demanded a precocious rate enslaved arsenic a consequence of nan superior quality of nan charges.

Thomas was recovered dormant successful a integrative bin wrong a conveyance connected April 26, having antecedently been reported missing connected April 5.

The conveyance is believed to person been parked successful Southfield for 2 weeks earlier nan discovery, WXYZ reported, citing Inkster police, Detroit police, nan FBI and Michigan State Police.

A man claiming to beryllium Charla’s friend alleged to constabulary that she asked him to “transport a sealed integrative bin.” He said he placed nan bin successful nan SUV, wherever Thomas’ remains were yet recovered connected April 11, per WXYZ.

A aesculapian examiner wished Thomas’ origin of decease to beryllium asphyxia, per CBS News. The decease was ruled a homicide.

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Jalen was denied enslaved during Friday's hearing, while Charla received a rate enslaved group astatine $5 million. A probable origin convention is scheduled for Oct. 22, per WXYZ.

The brace support their innocence successful nan alleged crimes and are expected to plead not blameworthy to nan charges, their attorneys told WXYZ.

"I'm truthful angry and I'm truthful happy and satisfied astatine nan aforesaid time," Cedric Salisbury, Thomas' father, told CBS News aft nan arraignment. "We each knew that they were beautiful overmuch responsible for what happened, truthful now we're moving guardant and moving successful nan correct direction, going for justness for London." 

Jalen was arrested and charged successful relationship pinch a erstwhile case, while Charla was antecedently arrested connected charges of lying to a bid officer. The charges were later dismissed, per WXYZ.

PEOPLE has contacted nan Inkster Police and Michigan State Police for comment.