LOGAN COUNTY, Okla. –
A Logan County district judge bound over 16-year-old Jordan Weems for trial in the killing of his adoptive mother.
Investigators say Spring Weems’ body was found inside a trash bin at the curb of the family’s home in the Cascata Falls neighborhood in Logan County on Jan. 28.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, deputies uncovered the homicide while responding to a fight involving two teenagers at the home.
Related: Court documents reveal details about Logan County mother found dead in trash can
News 9 does not typically identify 16-year-olds accused of crimes, but prosecutors charged Weems as an adult. His attorney asked the court to consider trying him as a juvenile or youthful offender, but the request was denied. Under Oklahoma law, a 16-year-old charged with first-degree murder is treated and tried as an adult.
Prosecutors charged Weems with first-degree murder, desecration of a corpse, and unauthorized removal of a dead body.
At the time of the murder, court records reveal Spring Weems had three adopted children living in her home, including Jordan.
Jordan and a sibling had been in trouble for sneaking out of the home and running from law enforcement, and their adoptive mother punished the children by making them write apology letters to officers, according to the affidavit.
Records show the sibling also told investigators their mother locked them in their rooms without clothing or bedding, made them wear orange jumpsuits and eat ham and beans, “to show what life as a prisoner might look like” if they did not start behaving,” according to court filings.
Investigators said the sibling claimed Jordan had talked several times about wanting to kill their mother before her death.
Court records indicate Weems confessed to standing in the hallway between the laundry room and kitchen on Jan. 27, then waiting for his mother to walk out of the kitchen. Prosecutors allege he beat her with a hammer before placing her body inside a trash bin.
Weems has been held without bond at the Canadian County Juvenile Detention Center in El Reno since his arrest Jan. 28. He was transferred to the Logan County Jail ahead of his May 22 court appearance.
Court records also reveal a judge instructed Weems’ public defender to file a written motion related to a psychological evaluation.
He is scheduled to return to court for a review of his detention on June 17, with a formal arraignment set two days later.
