LEXINGTON, S.C. — Another suspect has pleaded guilty in the killing and kidnapping of Columbia teen Sanaa Amenhotep.
Jaylen Wilson entered a plea Monday morning at the Lexington County Courthouse, moments before jury selection was to have begun for his trial. The plea was on charges of murder, kidnapping, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and criminal conspiracy.
Wilson is one of three suspects in the April 2021 killing of Amenhotep. Law enforcement and prosecutors say she was lured out by the trio and then shot and killed. Her body was then buried in a rural part of Lexington County just off Interstate 20.
Wilson pleaded guilty at 10 a.m. this morning to murder which the judge explained is a minimum charge of 30 years in prison. The kidnapping charge can range from zero to 30 years and 85% of this charge must be served, the possession of a weapon charge was 5 years and the judge also mentioned a conspiracy charge but did not say how much time Wilson may get for this.
Wilson was a co-defendant to Nicolle Sanchez-Peralta and Treveon Nelson. Nelson plead guilty to murder and kidnapping earlier this month.
Sanchez-Peralta has plead not guilty to charges, however, and her trial began last week. She maintains she was pressured to go with the other suspects to the site of the killing but is not responsible for Sanaa's death.
Her trial expected to conclude by the middle of this week, according to prosecutors.
The judge in the case has said sentencing for any of the suspects will not happen until after Sanchez-Peralta's trial concludes.
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