FAIRFAX, Ohio — A teen accused of murdering a 64-year-old woman in her Fairfax home in February has agreed to plead guilty to several charges, including aggravated murder.
Court documents say 64-year-old Sheila "Denise" Tenpenny was found dead in her home on Germania Street on Feb. 2. A preliminary autopsy report released by the Hamilton County Coroner's Office said Tenpenny had trauma to her head and neck.
In court Monday, the teen, who was 13 years old at the time Tenpenny was killed, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated burglary and one count of strangulation.
WATCH: Hear what was said in court the day the teen pleaded guilty
He will be held at the Department of Youth Services until he turns 21, which is the oldest the juvenile detention facility can hold a juvenile convicted of a crime.
In court, prosecutors said the teen researched how to strangle someone online, and through social media, in the months before Tenpenny was killed. Prosecutors said the boy forced his way into Tenpenny's home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. that day and found her sleeping in her bed; he then hit her, causing blunt force trauma, before strangling her until she died.
But Tenpenny fought hard, prosecutors said, and scratched the boy in the face, causing him to bleed at the crime scene. When investigators arrived after Tenpenny's body was found, prosecutors said she had the boy's hair in her hands, his DNA under her broken fingernails and his blood was co-mingled with hers and found throughout the house.
After he left Tenpenny's home, prosecutors said the boy got back online and "notified his social media people."
"This one was a fighter," prosecutors said the boy sent to people online.
In court, members of Tenpenny's family spoke, describing how much Tenpenny's nieces and nephews miss and loved their aunt, who many described as their second mother.
Donna Navarre, Tenpenny's sister, stood to deliver her victim impact statement but broke down crying and handed her statement to the family's liaison to read instead.
Tenpenny's brother-in-law, Troy Navarre, spoke directly to the teen.
"For the juvenile murderer — I do feel sorry for you," said Navarre. "Sorry that you had a family that did not teach you right from wrong. For the family of the murderer, I'm sorry for you too. Sorry that you appear to not know how to teach your offspring the difference between right and wrong. Maybe you don't even know it yourself."
Navarre said many of Tenpenny's family members did not come to court because they don't want to remember her murderer's face, only her face.
After the family's statements were done, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Agent David Ward spoke, telling the court he's worked violent crimes for over 20 years.
"I must say this is the first time I've ever had a person of this age commit this type of crime," Ward said. "And to add to that the premeditation of the offense is just chilling to me. As the investigation went on and continued, his social media communications with individuals ... there were several other communications that are very disturbing."
Ward said the teen's search history also showed he'd looked up how to "defeat" a police interrogation.
"After the day we did our canvassing and swabbed the defendant, he indicated to whoever he was communicating on several social media outlets about 'I think I just got caught,'" Ward said. "So it's very disturbing. I understand the limitations to the law and the fact that he can only be incarcerated until he's 21 — my fear is he made missteps in this case. He made mistakes. He left his DNA; he tried to clean up the crime scene with items that wouldn't have been successful. It was good luck for us that he did make those mistakes, but in the future, is he going to learn from those mistakes? That's what I'm concerned about."
According to a Fairfax police report a man, who told dispatchers he was Tenpenny's brother, called 911 after he found her dead.
"She got her face covered with a pillow," said the man to dispatchers. "She did not respond when I yelled at her."
You can hear that 911 call in the video below:
Neighbors told us at the time that the boy charged with Tenpenny's murder lived nearby.
The police report also says officers found what appeared to be blood on the bed where Tenpenny was found and on a tablet next to her, along with several bottles of cleaning supplies.
Police also asked the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI) to assist in the investigation. BCI said the male suspect who did it was likely physically injured while committing the crime and may have had visible cuts or bruises on his hands, wrists, forearms or face.
The teen was ordered not to contact the family. He must write a letter for the victim awareness class and complete school and cognitive behavioral therapy.
