Teen Girl, Boyfriend Seek Separate Trials In Mother's Murder
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A teenager and her soldier boyfriend are seeking separate trials on charges that they conspired to kill the girl's mother last spring.
The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that Lehigh County court records show that 14-year-old Jamie Silvonek and 21-year-old Army Spc. Caleb Barnes have each filed motions for separate trials.
They are charged in the March stabbing death of 54-year-old Cheryl Silvonek in the driveway of her home near Allentown.
Both defendants are asking for the trial to be moved or a jury brought in from another county, citing intense media coverage.
A hearing on pretrial motions is scheduled Tuesday.
Prosecutors charged the teenager as an adult, citing text messages they said detailed her role. Barnes is from El Paso, Texas, but was stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland.
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