Youth certified as adult charged in beating death of Bedford girl
A Fort Worth teen who was certified to stand trial as an adult last week has been charged with using a hammer to kill a Bedford girl in June and then dropping her body in a dumpster.
Prosecutors wasted little time in charging Jordin Roache, 16, of Fort Worth with murder and tampering with physical evidence.
Roache was certified as an adult Wednesday afternoon by Judge Tim Menikos after a four-hour hearing, and prosecutors filed the charges Thursday in the killing of 14-year-old Kaytlynn Cargill in June.
Roache has been held at the Scott D. Moore Juvenile Detention Center since he was detained Sept. 1. Authorities say Roache will most likely remain there until he turns 17 in March, then he likely will be transferred to the Tarrant County Jail.
Roache had been charged as a juvenile with delinquent conduct/murder, but he now face stiffer penalties and time in an adult prison if he is convicted.
His first court appearance in adult court will be Jan. 10. A trial date is pending.
Roache is accused of killing Cargill during an alleged $300 marijuana deal at the Oak Creek West Apartments, where she lived with her parents, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The apartments are near Pennington Field in Bedford.
A Bedford police detective who testified during Roache's certification hearing said the investigation into the killing continues.
DNA evidence and cellphone records link Roache to Cargill's slaying, the warrant states.
Roache had been staying with his girlfriend at the Bedford apartment complex for two week before Cargill was killed.
A witness told Bedford police that Cargill was supposed to take part in a marijuana exchange with Roache and his brother. She was going to make marijuana "dabs," and sell them back to Roach, according to the warrant.
Her body was found June 21 in a north Arlington landfill, two days after she went missing.
Bedford investigators on June 25 found blood on several walls and in other rooms at Roache's girlfriend's apartment, as well as on the head of a hammer believed to be the murder weapon, according to the warrant.
This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.
Domingo Ramirez Jr.: 817-390-7763, @mingoramirezjr
This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Youth certified as adult charged in beating death of Bedford girl."