Joda Cain, 17, is accused of murdering his great-grandmother, Jacqueline Bell, 71, at her home in Portland, Oregon then stealing her car to flee the area, reports The Oregonian.
Cain’s mother, Brandi Bell-Gibson, sent her troubled and “unruly” son to her grandmother for a fresh start in Oregon and is shocked by the allegation.
“I lost my legs… I just fell,” Bell-Gibson told the Oregonian. “I’m thinking this is a nightmare, and I’m going to wake up. It’s horrible.”
Cain and his cousin, Micus Ward, 19, allegedly killed Bell after a party they threw at her home. When Cain was planning the party, friends asked him would the noise bother his great-grandmother and he allegedly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll hit her. I’ll knock her out.”
After leading troopers on a high -speed chase on I-84 in eastern Oregon, more than 250 miles away from Bell’s home, Cain and Ward were arrested and are currently in police custody.
See KGW news reports below:
Read more from The Oregonian below:
Cain, 17, who authorities believe killed Bell in Cedar Mill last week, was reportedly arraigned Monday in Washington County juvenile court. Court staff said he was also charged with reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lesowski said a grand jury will review homicide charges for Cain and 19-year-old Micus Ward early next week.
Lesowski said Cain would be prosecuted as an adult if he is indicted on a murder charge.
A juvenile court judge ordered Cain to be held without release eligibility, Lesowski said. Cain is in custody at Donald E. Long juvenile detention center.
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Ward is in the Union County Jail. Authorities say when he was arrested he provided police with Bell’s address but said he was not an Oregon resident.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office said Ward is being held on a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He is being held on an accusation of criminal homicide out of Washington County, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Washington County authorities say they plan to bring Ward back to Washington County this week.
Cain’s next hearing in juvenile court is scheduled for Oct. 18.
See Fox 12 news report below:
Bell-Gibson is holding out hope that Cain didn’t kill her grandmother, who by all accounts doted on him. But if he did, her position is clear:
“I know I’m not going to stand by my son, if he murdered my grandmother,” Bell-Gibson told the Oregonian. “She didn’t deserve to die like that.”
