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London Thomas murder suspects arraigned
London Thomas' boyfriend and his mother were arraigned on murder and tampering with evidence charges Friday for the teen's murder. Thomas' body was found in a plastic tub in Southfield weeks after she was reported missing in April.
INKSTER, Mich. (FOX 2) - The suspects accused of murdering 17-year-old London Thomas in Inkster earlier this year were arraigned on murder charges Friday morning.
Thomas' boyfriend, Jalen Pendergrass, 23, and his mother, Charla Pendergrass, 49,were arrested this week and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Jalen Pendergrass was initially considered a person of interest in Thomas' disappearance and murder but was never charged, while his mom previously faced charges that were dropped.
An Inkster judge set Charla Pendergrass' bond at $5 million cash after the prosecution said she "engaged in an extended campaign to life to police" when she was first questioned.
Jalen Pendergrass was denied bond. According to the prosecution, he has another pending case out of Oakland County for making a false report of a felony. While out on bond for that case, he allegedly was arrested for driving under the influence, though he has not been charged.
"It's been an emotional roller coaster," said Cedric Salisbury, London's father. "We just kept our faith. We believed this day was going to come. We all knew that they did something, and we're just happy that the light has been shone."
The backstory:
Thomas was last seen on April 5 when her sister dropped her off at her 23-year-old boyfriend's Inkster home. On April 26, her body was found in Southfield.
After Thomas' body was discovered, the boyfriend's mother, Pendergrass, 48, was arrested and charged with lying to a peace officer. Charla Pendergrass allegedly told an investigator that she saw Thomas leave the Inkster home where she was last seen on April 5, a fact that authorities say was a lie.
Authorities say phone records and video confirm that she lied to investigators.
Despite this, the lying to a peace officer charge was dropped during Charla Pendergrass' preliminary examination because the person she allegedly lied to was a federal agent. According to the prosecution, a federal agent does not meet the definition of a "peace officer" under Michigan statute, so the case could not proceed.
After Friday's arraignment, Charla Pendergrass' attorney, Terry L. Johnson, questioned the evidence the prosection has against his client, saying it "sounds like the same recycled case from April when they couldn't prove anything then. And I don't think they'll be able to prove anything now."
Dig deeper:
According to a press release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, evidence allegedly shows that Jalen and Charla Pendergrass killed Thomas. Kym Worthy said that a friend of Charla Pendergrass called police and provided this information.
That friend said that on April 6, Charla Pendergrass called him and asked him to help transport a sealed plastic bin with unknown contents. The friend told police that he agreed, and moved the bin to a home on Millard Street in Southfield and put the bin in an SUV on April 11. Weeks later, that same bin, which contained Thomas' body, was found in an SUV at the Southfield house, the prosecutor said.
An autopsy determined that Thomas died from asphyxia.
"I am proud of the excellent work that has been done in this case. It has taken countless hours of investigation, and diligent work by the Michigan State Police, the Detroit Police Department, and the FBI. As a result of that work, we have been able to charge and bring the perpetrators of this cruel and deadly crime to justice," Worthy said.
What's next:
The suspects are due back in court Oct. 22 for their probable cause conference.
The Source: This information is from previous reporting and the suspects' arraignment.
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