DEBARY, Fla. — A 15-year-old Florida boy accused of killing his mother and enlisting his friends to help hide her body was still in custody Monday morning.
- Boy, 2 friends accused in killing of boy's mom over bad grade
- Gail Cleavenger's body recovered near a church
- RELATED:
The teen is charged with first-degree premeditated murder of his mother, Gail Cleavenger. His friends are charged as accessories.
However, a judge decided to allow his two friends to be released on house arrest.
Per Spectrum News guidelines, we aren't releasing the identities of teenagers unless the State Attorney's Office charges them as adults.
According to detectives, the 15-year-old confessed to strangling his 46-year-old mother Thursday night after they got into a fight over a "D" he received in a class. He then buried her body beneath a fire pit at River City Church in DeBary early Friday morning. He then called his two best friends to help hide her body and stage a robbery at his home.
A memorial is growing in front of the church to honor the memory of Cleavenger.
Spectrum News exclusively interviewed the grandparents of one of the 17-year-old teenagers accused of helping hide Cleavenger's body.
They told a judge they thought their grandson was in school on Friday, which is the day detectives say the teens helped their friend stage a robbery at his home.
"We're still in shock. We can't believe that this is all happening. He's always been a good kid. He's always been respectful," said the boy's grandmother. "This is like something out of a nightmare."
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood took Spectrum News behind the River City Church to a trail that deputies say the teens used to access a fire pit, where they allegedly buried Cleavenger's body. Detectives said they recovered Cleavenger's body at the church early Saturday morning.
A GoFundMe page has been started for Cleavenger.
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