Niagara Falls teen killed 5-year-old he was babysitting 'with his bare hands,' dumped body in trash can with 18-year-old pal's help: cops
by Philip Caulfield, nydailynews.comAugust 28th 2012 1:53 PM
Isabella Tennant, 5, was allegedly murdered by a 16-year-old family friend, John Freeman, in her grandmothers home.
An upstate teen killed a 5-year-old girl he was babysitting "with his bare hands" and, with the help of a friend, bagged her body and dumped it in an alleyway garbage can, police said.
Little Isabella Tennant's slain body was found in at the bottom of a trash can near downtown Niagara Falls at around 9 a.m. on Monday, a few hours after her family reported her missing, authorities said.
"It's a terrible crime. It tears at your heart," Niagara Falls Police Capt. William M. Thomson told reporters on Monday.
"I have grandchildren the same age as this victim, and it is horrible."
The suspect, John Freeman, 16, was described as a "trusted" family friend who was asked to look after the girl when her great-grandmother went to bed on Sunday night, authorities said.
"It is very disturbing," Thomson said, according to the Buffalo News. "We don't have any motive for this."
Freeman and a pal, Tyler Best, 18, of Buffalo, were charged in the girl's death and made their first court appearance on Tuesday morning.
Isabella, who lived in Cheektowaga, was staying overnight with her great-grandmother, Sharon Lascelle, while her mom worked a shift at a Niagara Falls sports bar, the Buffalo News reported.
Lascaelle went to bed at around 11:00 p.m., and asked Freeman to come over and look after the tot, authorities said.
Freeman and the family were "close," authorities said, and he had looked after the girl alone before.
The family reported Isabella missing at around 6:30 a.m. after her mom came home and couldn't find her, authorities said.
Freeman was questioned, but told police he last saw the girl at around midnight, the Buffalo News reported.
Cops quickly got a break in the case when Best, who was crashing with Freeman, showed up at police headquarters at around 9 a.m. and admitted to helping dump the little girl's body.
Best led police to a trash can in an alley between Third and Fourth streets, just blocks from the Lascelle's home, the newspaper said.
The girl was fully clothed, and there were so signs the teen used any weapons to kill her, police said.
"At this time we believe Freeman killed Isabella with his bare hands ...and that Best was only involved after she was deceased and assisted with moving her remains," police said in a statement, which was posted on the local NBC News station.
An autopsy was planned for Tuesday morning.
Freeman was charged with second-degree murder, while Best was charged with tampering with evidence.
Both pleaded not guilty. They were due back in court on Sept. 7.
Hundreds of stunned community members gathered at Sal Maglie Stadium, a minor league ballpark, on Monday night for a candlelight vigil.
"There are no words I could say to take away (Isabella's mother's) pain… I support her and I love her," family friend Christina Conte told local NBC.
With News Wire Services
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Victor Cuvo, Attorney at Law
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