NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - The mother of a dead 5-year-old girl says the teen accused of killing her daughter is a "mooch" who would come and go from her grandmother's house and that she had asked he not be allowed to sleep there.
But Crystal Walker told WIVB-TV in an interview broadcast Tuesday that her grandmother, Sharon Lascelle, had a big heart and would let John Freeman sleep over when his heat was turned off.
Police say Freeman came to the house sometime Sunday night and, after Lascelle went to bed around 11,
killed Isabella Tennant with his bare hands.
Freeman pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges on Tuesday. A friend, 18-year-old Tyler Best, pleaded not guilty to charges of tampering with evidence. Police say Best helped Freeman hide the body.
