Pastor's son is indicted on murder charges for 'killing his love rival's mother by running her over with a church maintenance van he had borrowed'
A Florida teenager has been indicted on murder charges for allegedly killing his love rival's mother by running her over in a church maintenance van that he'd been given permission to use by his pastor father.
Elijah Stansell, 18, is one of four teenagers charged over the death of the death of Suzette Penton in Polk City, Florida, on November 9.
Raven Sutton, 16, Kimberly Stone, 15, and Hannah Eubanks, 14, are also charged but with lesser crimes.
They went to Suzette's home to attack her son, Hunter, it is alleged. Kimberly and Hunter previously dated but broke up six months ago and she moved on with Elijah.
Police say there was still a 'dispute' over the romances that was playing out over social media and included Elijah threatening Hunter.
On November 9, Kimberly was suspended from their school because teachers had discovered her threatening messages to him. To get revenge, she and her friends allegedly drove to Hunter's home to ambush him.
Stansell was the driver and he used a van that belongs to his pastor father's church.
At a press conference earlier this month, Polk County Sheriff Grady Rudd said: 'He used the church van that was intended for good, and used it for evil.
'He needs to go to prison.'
This is the moment Elijah Stansell allegedly ran over Suzette Penton outside her home. She died in the hospital on Monday. She had come home to find Elijah beating up her teenage son and ran out of the house to take photos of him and his accomplices to later give police when she was mowed down
Suzette Penton, 52, died on Monday, three weeks after being run over outside her home by teenagers who had shown up to attack her teenage son Hunter (shown together). She chased them out of the house and into the street where they got into their van and mowed her down
The teens were inside and allegedly beating him up when Hunter's mother 52-year-old Suzette - a school librarian and mother-of-four - arrived home and chased them out of the house.
Kimberly Stone, Elijah's 15-year-old girlfriend who had allegedly told him to drive to Hunter Penton's house. She has been charged with attempted murder as an adult
The four teens then got into their van but before they fled, Elijah - who was behind the wheel - ran her over, it is alleged. It was captured on video by a witness who watched in horror.
Suzette spent three weeks in the hospital in critical condition but died on Monday.
Initially, all of the kids were charged with attempted murder but Elijah was later charged with murder and the three others, who were being charged as juveniles, are now being turned over to adult court.
They have now formally been indicted by a grand jury on charges including burglary of an occupied dwelling with battery or assault, conspiracy to commit burglary and accessory after the fact.
According to police, Kimberly had been fighting with Hunter for months.
Their arguing became so bad that Kimberly was suspended from school.
'They were talking trash to each other... it was so bad that the school system had warned Kimberly - they suspended her for her outrageous conduct,' Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Raven Sutton, 16, also joined in the attack, punching Hunter, while Hannah Eubanks - the youngest of the group and the only one with a criminal record - filmed it on her cell phone
Footage released by police shows the teenagers attacking Hunter inside his home before his mom got back
'She, in some of her rants and arguing back and forth, just said, "well I'll get my boyfriend and we'll come beat you up."
'After school, that day she was suspended, she gets with her best friend, Hannah Eubanks, and another by the name of Raven Sutton, they get with Elijah and he drives the van to hunter Penton's house.'
She directed him to the house in a van that Elijah had been told he could use by the church where his father is a pastor.
Once at the Penton house, the kids forced their way inside. Elijah allegedly started beating Hunter and Raven, the other boy, piled in while Hannah filmed. Suzette then arrived home unexpectedly and forced them out.
She also took photos and videos of them with her own cellphone to give to the police later.
Three of the four teens are shown at the scene. The boys wore masks but Hannah Eubanks, who filmed it, did not
Suzette with three of her four sons. She was also a beloved school librarian and a grandmother
As she stood in the street taking the pictures, Elijah - who was driving - allegedly plowed into her, mowing her down.
A witness who called 911 said: 'I’m trying to stay back. I don’t know if these people have a gun. They just mowed that poor lady down.'
Police named all of the teenagers after charging them and said they were disgusted by the violence committed.
'This was a coordinated, planned attack, carried out by a group of teens who beat up a teen then ran over his mother, leaving her for dead.
'I can't even fathom teenagers doing something so heinous. Our prayers are with this family,' Sheriff Judd said.
Penton was a librarian at a local school.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Rudd on Tuesday giving more details about the shocking case
