Natasha Ellis, now 16, was indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder and felonious assault.
“This is kind of the outcome that our office was focusing on from the beginning,” said Clark County Prosecutor Dan Driscoll. “Because of the nature of the crimes, we felt it was appropriate from Day One.”
Now that Ellis has been indicted, the next step will be her arraignment in Clark County Common Pleas Court before one of the General Division judges.
Ellis is accused of carrying out an attack on her then 13-year-old friend’s family members at a home on North Church Street in New Carlisle on May 23.
The friend’s mother, Lee A. Moore, 36, died in the attack. The 13-year-old’s father and a then-17-year-old boy were also hurt, but survived.
Her transition to adult court has not been quick.
Because of Ellis’ age at the time of the crime, there were several steps that needed to be taken before a judge relinquished her to adult court including hearings about facts of the case and psychological evaluations.
In what’s called an amenability hearing, a psychological expert weighed in with their opinions about whether Ellis could be rehabilitated.
RELATED: One of the teenage girls accused in a fatal New Carlisle stabbing going to adult court
“Dr. (Kara) Marciani opined in her report and testimony that not only was the youth mature enough to be transferred to the adult division, she did not believe there was sufficient time to rehabilitate the youth in the juvenile system,” a judgment entry from Clark County Juvenile Court Judge Katrine Lancaster states.
The judge considers the psychological opinions presented, as well as other factors like a juvenile’s past before they entered the criminal justice system.
But in the Ellis case, the judge found that the factors in favor of a transfer to adult court outweighed those against it.
The entry also set the teen’s bond at $500,000.
Ellis will remain in custody at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center until the conclusion of her case in adult court.
However, her alleged co-conspirator’s case will stay in juvenile court.
Sheriff’s deputies have said previously that even though Ellis may have acted by herself, the planning of the attack was done in unison with the 13-year-old.
In an interrogation video shown in a July hearing, Ellis told an investigator that her friend even left weapons out in the home in certain places for her to use in the stabbing.
At the same hearing, a deputy told the court that Ellis told her the night of the attack that the two girls were in communication up until moments before the stabbing happened.
After deputies took Ellis into custody, she told them that the 13-year-old was allegedly being abused and carrying out the attack was the only solution.
The 13-year-old has been charged as a serious youthful offender which could result in a mixture of juvenile and adult sentences down the line.
A trial date has not been set in the 13-year-old’s case.
2. Springfield police seek help ID’ing Speedway robber
Springfield police are looking for the man who robbed the Speedway gas station on South Burnett Road early Wednesday morning.
Police say the suspect walked in the store just after midnight, pointed a gun at a store employee and demanded money.
In a 9-1-1 call obtained by the News-Sun, the employee tells a dispatcher, “He just said open up the drawer and give it to me.”
It’s unclear how much cash the robber got away with, but the employee said he ran off down Lexington Avenue.
Springfield Police Division Detective Dan DeWine said the entire exchange lasted 30 seconds.
RELATED: Springfield police looking for man who robbed South Burnett Road gas station
“The uniform officers when they arrived — they go around the area down side streets, alleys, everything — looking for possible evidence that may have been dropped,” he said.
Officers didn’t find anything in the neighborhood surrounding the Speedway, but they were focusing on other pieces of evidence like surveillance video and spots in the store where the robber may have left fingerprints.
DeWine says the suspect is described as a male who was wearing a blue jacket, dark blue pants or jeans and a black ski mask.
He was also wearing a glove on one hand that was holding a black handgun.
If anyone has information about the robbery, call the Springfield Police Information Officer at 937-324-7685 or the Command Officer at 937-324-7716. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
3. Suspect reportedly uses credit card to break into Springfield house
Springfield police responded around 4:30 p.m. to the 400 block of Linden Avenue regarding a burglary, according to a police report.
The victim told officers an unknown suspect broke into her house between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and stole over $800 worth of items.
“(The victim) stated that when she came home, she found the back door standing open,” the report says. “She stated the suspect then kicked her downstairs bedroom door, causing the frame to break near the lock.”
The victim also told police that the suspect used a credit card to unlock her back door and get into her house.
RELATED: Hundreds of dollars worth of items reported stolen from a Springfield home
According to the report, the items stolen include a 32-inch Roku television, a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 games and accessories, four pairs of shoes, and tattoo equipment.
No suspect information was available.
Springfield police continue their investigation into this burglary.
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