Teen Charged in Murder of Niagara Falls Girl
By: WROC-TV
Updated: August 28, 2012
Police say a 16-year-old trusted neighbor killed a five-year-old girl with his bare hands and placed her body in a trash can.
John Freeman, 16, is charged with second degree murder. His friend, Tyler Best, 18, is charged with tampering with evidence. Freeman is accused of killing five-year-old Isabella Sarah Tennant. Her body was found Monday afternoon in a garbage can in an alleyway not far from her home.
Bella was spending the night at her great-grandmother's house, and was reported missing about 6 a.m. Monday when her family noticed she wasn't in her bed. Police say Freeman was the last person to see Bella alive, but they won't say how he killed her.
"It's an extremely huge void in our family because you never think something like this could happen to you or your family until it does. And you don't know who you can trust," says Bella's cousin, Ashley Santangello.
Freeman lived next door to the Sarah's great grandmother and helped her with chores for years. He routinely spent time at her house. Police say he enlisted the help of his friend Tyler Best, to dispose of Bella's body. Both teens are in police custody.
John Freeman, 16, is charged with second degree murder. His friend, Tyler Best, 18, is charged with tampering with evidence. Freeman is accused of killing five-year-old Isabella Sarah Tennant. Her body was found Monday afternoon in a garbage can in an alleyway not far from her home.
Bella was spending the night at her great-grandmother's house, and was reported missing about 6 a.m. Monday when her family noticed she wasn't in her bed. Police say Freeman was the last person to see Bella alive, but they won't say how he killed her.
"It's an extremely huge void in our family because you never think something like this could happen to you or your family until it does. And you don't know who you can trust," says Bella's cousin, Ashley Santangello.
Freeman lived next door to the Sarah's great grandmother and helped her with chores for years. He routinely spent time at her house. Police say he enlisted the help of his friend Tyler Best, to dispose of Bella's body. Both teens are in police custody.
