Two University Christian School (UCS) students have been charged with the Feb.10 slaying their 17-year-old classmate.
Police said Charles Roy Southern, 17, and Connor Julian Pridgen, 16, took the victim, Makia Coney, off campus in their pickup truck around 3:15 p.m., reports news4jax.com. After riding around, the trio went to a secluded area about three miles from the school. Once there, each boy shot Coney in the head, police said.
The suspects returned back to the campus around 4:15 p.m., one hour before Coney was reported missing. Two hours later, a bicyclist found the victim’s body in a drainage ditch near a high school.
Investigators said that Southern and Pridgen were friends with Coney. They both admitted to killing Coney; however, the motive for the crime is not clear. Additionally, police said there was no indication that Coney was sexually assaulted. Both Southern and Pridgen are being held without bond. Florida State Attorney Angela Corey released a statement saying that she plans to charge the pair in adult felony court.
Counseling has been offered to the students at UCS to help them deal with their grief.
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