A Mississippi teen, Jadynn Hamilton, 17, is set to face trial as an adult following his alleged confession to the fatal beating of his 73-year-old grandmother, Ollie Hamilton. The incident occurred at their place of worship, Smith Chapel Holiness Church, where the elderly woman was found dead. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley confirmed her death, which was pronounced by paramedics responding to a 911 call on Wednesday evening.
Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook revealed to local media outlets that Jadynn Hamilton had confessed to the crime. The Sheriff’s office had been investigating the incident, gathering evidence from the church located in Athens, approximately 175 miles northeast of Jackson near the Alabama border. The evidence collected pointed towards the teenager’s involvement in the crime.
Ollie Hamilton’s body was discovered in an area near the church’s kitchen. Witnesses at the church reported that a “young man” had sought help for the elderly woman. This “young man” was later identified as Jadynn Hamilton. Sheriff Crook shared with the Monroe Journal, “As the investigation progressed, evidence began to point in a certain direction. A young man had supposedly sought help shortly after the attack. We brought him in last night, and he confessed to the crime.”
Sheriff Crook described the incident as a “tragedy of the worst kind,” highlighting the shock of a beloved church, family, and community member being killed, only to discover within 24 hours that another beloved family member was the alleged perpetrator.
While the Sheriff did not disclose any potential motive behind the alleged attack, he did note that the teenager had no prior criminal record. He suggested that the incident could be a result of uncontrolled impulses, stating, “If someone is unable to control their impulses and they reach that point, I don’t think it really matters who the victim is at the time. If it got them to that level of anger, they’re going to lash out at whoever. It just happened to be his grandmother.”
Jadynn Hamilton was subsequently arrested and charged as an adult with first-degree murder. He is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.