Inset: Spring Weems (Facebook). Background: Authorities at the home where Spring Weems was allegedly killed by her adopted son (KOCO).
A 16-year-old boy in Oklahoma is accused of planning and then executing the fatal beating of his adoptive mother, repeatedly smashing her over the head with a hammer and stuffing her body in a trash bin and leaving it at the curb last week.
Jordan Cole Weems, who prosecutors are charging as an adult, is facing one count each of first-degree murder, desecration of a human corpse, and unauthorized removal of a dead body in the slaying of 49-year-old Spring Weems, court documents state.
Prosecutors laid out the allegations against Jordan Weems in a Friday filing seeking to have the teen detained without bond until his trial. The document says Jordan Weems is responsible for the “brutal bludgeoning” of his mother, who suffered “massive damage to the face” as well as “deforming of the head and face.”
In his statement to police, Jordan Weems allegedly confessed to “striking her initially in the face between the eyes, and later beating her to unconsciousness with his fists, then again beating her with a hammer.”
After the alleged murder, prosecutors said Jordan Weems tried to cover his tracks by hiding the body and inventing stories to explain his mother”s absence.
“The facts and evidence show that this was not a crime of passion or an instantaneous decision. Rather, the Defendant threatened to kill his mother leading up to the crime,” prosecutors wrote. “That he planned the killing by retrieving a hammer and laying in wait to surprise his mother in the middle of the night. When his mother came upon him unsuspecting, he attacked her viciously and brutally, striking her with the hammer and his fist in excess of a dozen times. Finally, after killing his mother, he took steps to hide the body, clean up the scene, fabricate evidence to excuse her absence, and lied to his family about her location.”
The attack allegedly stemmed from Jordan Weems and one of his brothers getting caught sneaking out of the house and finding themselves in a situation where they were “running from law enforcement,” Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO reported.
When Spring Weems found out, she reportedly punished Jordan by forcing him and his brother to write “letters to apologize to the police.” She also forced him to eat “prisoner food” (consisting of ham or chicken with beans) and to wear an orange jumpsuit, which she reportedly hoped would “show him what life as a prisoner might be like if he did not start behaving.”
During his punishment, Jordan Weems allegedly told his sibling several times that he was going to kill their mother, Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV reported. When another sibling asked where their mother was, Jordan Weems allegedly said she had gone to their older sister’s home to help with her new baby. When she didn’t return the following day, one of the siblings called their adoptive father, Spring Weems’ ex-husband, who filed a missing persons report with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies on Jan. 28 responded to the Weems’ home after receiving calls about Jordan Weems fighting in the street with one of his siblings. Upon arriving, deputies found the two boys. One of Jordan’s brothers reportedly yelled, “He just killed my mom.” Deputies then discovered Spring Weems’ body stuffed in a trash bin that had been rolled out to the curb.
Prosecutors concluded their petition to withhold bond from Jordan Weems by pointing out that the teen had no parent “willing to vouch for him and to ensure his appearance in court.”
“The facts of this crime, namely that the Defendant planned it, laid in wait to execute it, attempted to disguise the fact of the murder, and provided false information to his family to lead them away from the crime and the body of his victim, shows the Defendant to be a danger to the community and evinces a desire to flee from the consequences of his actions,” the filing says.
The request was granted and the defendant is currently being held without bond until his next appearance, which is currently scheduled for Feb. 24.
