Elijah Stansell Florida teen charged w/ first degree murder after Suzette Penton Polk City librarian he intentionally ran over last month dies from her injuries.
An 18 year old man has been charged with first degree murder after a Florida mother he intentionally ran over last month fatally succumbed to her injuries last week.
The charges follow a group of teens feuding with the victim’s teen son over a ‘romantic entanglement’ arriving at the son’s family house only for the mother to intercede.
It was then that Suzette Penton, a Polk City librarian was run over by a vehicle driven by Elijah Stansell WFLA reports.
In a Facebook release, Polk County Sheriff Judd on Tuesday announced Stansell being charged with first degree murder in the death of Penton, 52.
Elijah who was driving a church van belonging to his father’s church, was accompanied by 3 other teens, who have all been charged as adults, with attempted felony murder and burglary with assault. Those charges are now expected to be upgraded.
Mama Bear protective of her kids
The three teens were identified as Raven Sutton, 16, Kimberly Stone, 15, and Hannah Eubank, 14, WFTV reported.
Stansell has been in the Polk County Jail since November 9th for attempted felony murder, 3 counts contributing to the delinquency of a minor, burglary with assault, and lewd & lascivious battery on a minor. He was being held on no bond for the attempted felony murder charge, which is now being upgraded to first degree murder.
When the teens started attacking Penton’s son, his mom went outside to confront them and take pictures of their van, authorities said.
‘They purposely and intentionally ran her over and critically injured her,’ Sheriff Judd said.
‘They had ample opportunity and space to get out of that area as she stood there in the street to take pictures of them to give to law enforcement. Instead, they ran her down in the road.’
Penton was brought to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury and several broken bones, but doctors ultimately were unable to save her.
She was remembered in the wake of her death as a ‘Mama Bear,’ always protective of her kids, WFLA reported.