SUN LAKES, AZ — A 14-year-old boy accused of killing his aunt with a knife in Sun Lakes is no longer in jail after the teen's mother posted the $1 million cash bond.
The teen is required to wear an ankle monitor and remain on house arrest while out on bond. He is also not allowed to have any contact with other relatives or witnesses, besides his mother.
Court documents show the $1 million was wire transferred by the boy’s mother less than a month after Tonya Harper was brutally murdered with a knife.
The Oakwood Hills neighborhood is once again in shock.
“People are more astonished and not able to put it into words,” said one neighbor.
“The whole reason it would be put that high is to keep somebody from being bonded out because you are unsure of their situation,” the neighbor said.
The state asked for the high bond.
In the initial appearance, the Maricopa County prosecutor cited aggravating circumstances, “...including the 11 phone lines that were apparently cut at the same time. And cell phones apparently were taken and found in the juvenile's room.”
The crime, which prosecutors call premeditated, has rattled the gated community.
“Neighbors who do have young kids are extremely uneasy about the thought process that this person could be in the neighborhood and in their midst,” said the neighbor.
ABC15 is still choosing not to name or identify the teen. He has undergone multiple mental evaluations and was arrested at a mental health facility. He is being tried as an adult though, a decision that was made by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
“As a parent, I hope that his parents can get him the help that he needs. And to properly rehabilitate whatever the problem is,” said the neighbor. “I just don’t know how you process that. It’s a really tough situation. I got to imagine that mom is hurting on the inside but still wants to be a mom on the outside and deal with her child.”
The teen’s next court date is in April.
