Boy who was 15 when he 'murdered his cousin, 9, during a sleepover then dumped her body in a ditch' may now face rape charges in the case
A New Mexico teen accused of murdering his cousin and leaving her in a ditch in January of last year may be given new rape charges after authorities confirmed his DNA was found on the nine-year-old girl's body.
Jeremiah Morfin, who was 15 at the time, could face charges of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, attempted criminal sexual penetration of a minor and criminal sexual contact in connection to last year's incident.
The charges were brought up during a November 30 preliminary hearing held over Google Meet as Morfin was not previously charged with rape after he allegedly beat his cousin to death and sexually assaulted her, KRQE reports.
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Jeremiah Morfin, who was 15 at the time, could face charges of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, attempted criminal sexual penetration of a minor and criminal sexual contact in connection to last year's incident
The young girl's body was found just at 5.42am on January 5, 2019, in an arroyo not too far from a family home in Albuquerque near Unser and Gibson boulevards.
When police were called to the home of Selina Morfin, she told them that her niece had gone missing and provided a note that her son had written her, a criminal complaint states.
The note explained that Jeremiah had killed his cousin.
Officers then spoke with the teen, who told them that he 'kinda lost it' and 'did something bad', leaving the girl in a ditch.
He was already charged with murder after police found the girl's body in an arroyo not too far from his family's Albuquerque home
When police were called to the home of Selina Morfin, she told them that her niece had gone missing and provided a note that her son had written her saying he killed the girl
He then led authorities to the nearby arroyo, where officers found the girl and discovered signs that she had been sexually assaulted, the complaint said.
Morfin was charged with murder soon after.
During Monday's hearing, prosecutors argued that DNA found on the girl's body matched DNA belonging to Morfin, resulting in them wanting to tack on the additional charges,
Officers spoke with the teen at the time of the murder last year. He told them that he 'kinda lost it' and 'did something bad,' leaving the girl in a ditch
But the defense argued that any contact would have resulted in DNA being left behind. A judge is expected to meet with both parties in January.
During the hearing, five people testified - including Jose Herrera, the ex-boyfriend of Jeremiah's mother.
He testified that the girl had come over for a sleepover before disappearing in the middle of the night.
Authorities finding a blanket that belonged to the young girl