Found Deceased GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2

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Niner said:
@vls12345 - any hearing dates before the trial on 9/30/24? TIA! :)
Click to expand...

Just looked. I don't see anything different from either the Augusta-Richmond County website or the GA Supreme Court website.

So, the previous posts contain the most recent updates/info:
www.websleuths.com

Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2

Only update is "Supreme Court notice of docketing" for Leon Tripp on 5/14/2024, which supports the article that Niner posted last month. Post in thread 'GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2' Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell -...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com
www.websleuths.com

Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2

Only update is "Supreme Court notice of docketing" for Leon Tripp on 5/14/2024, which supports the article that Niner posted last month. Post in thread 'GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2' Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell -...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com
 
vls12345 said:
Just looked. I don't see anything different from either the Augusta-Richmond County website or the GA Supreme Court website.

So, the previous posts contain the most recent updates/info:
www.websleuths.com

Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2

Only update is "Supreme Court notice of docketing" for Leon Tripp on 5/14/2024, which supports the article that Niner posted last month. Post in thread 'GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2' Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell -...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com
www.websleuths.com

Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2

Only update is "Supreme Court notice of docketing" for Leon Tripp on 5/14/2024, which supports the article that Niner posted last month. Post in thread 'GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell - Abducted & Murdered - Mom & Stepdad Charged - Augusta #2' Found Deceased - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell -...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com
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Okay - thanks for taking the time to look! I shall try again in about - oh say about 2 weeks... or so! LOL! :)
 
GoBuckeyes said:
Could someone catch me up on how the case was solved, please? I don't see that information anywhere, and I'm not local to the area. TIA
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trying to remember the initial reports and days for this case. If I am remembering correctly the stepfather and Latania (Janelle) were both reported missing having "disappeared" in the early morning hours the day after Janelle's 16th birthday.

Stepdad, Leon, (according to Janelle's mother, Tanya) had to help a friend repair a car and allegedly took Janelle with him to do so at 1:30am. She reported them both missing after about a week or two and went on FB begging for money and help claiming to also be suffering from cancer.

Leon eventually did turn up in Atlanta about a month later, but when police located him there low and behold he was accompanied by Tanya, his wife who had claimed he was missing and she had no idea where he might be. Cell phone records later showed she had been in contact with her husband the entire time.

Janelle's body was eventually located in a shallow grave not far from her own home. Turns out her mother and stepfather had conspired to kill her, even going so far as to try to hire hitmen to do it for them on several occasions dating back to when Janelle was just 14. I don't know that we ever were given a hard and fast motive as to why she was murdered. Some have speculated that Leon was SAing Janelle and her mom wanted her out of the picture for that reason.
 
tlcya said:
trying to remember the initial reports and days for this case. If I am remembering correctly the stepfather and Latania (Janelle) were both reported missing having "disappeared" in the early morning hours the day after Janelle's 16th birthday.

Stepdad, Leon, (according to Janelle's mother, Tanya) had to help a friend repair a car and allegedly took Janelle with him to do so at 1:30am. She reported them both missing after about a week or two and went on FB begging for money and help claiming to also be suffering from cancer.

Leon eventually did turn up in Atlanta about a month later, but when police located him there low and behold he was accompanied by Tanya, his wife who had claimed he was missing and she had no idea where he might be. Cell phone records later showed she had been in contact with her husband the entire time.

Janelle's body was eventually located in a shallow grave not far from her own home. Turns out her mother and stepfather had conspired to kill her, even going so far as to try to hire hitmen to do it for them on several occasions dating back to when Janelle was just 14. I don't know that we ever were given a hard and fast motive as to why she was murdered. Some have speculated that Leon was SAing Janelle and her mom wanted her out of the picture for that reason.
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Thank you for sharing this information. How pathetic are these 2 'parents'? My 16th birthday was one of the best days of my life, and she was likely so excited. I can't imagine the horror she felt when she realized that her own mother and stepdad were going to kill her. Is this a DP case? If not, it should be. IMOO
 
GoBuckeyes said:
Thank you for sharing this information. How pathetic are these 2 'parents'? My 16th birthday was one of the best days of my life, and she was likely so excited. I can't imagine the horror she felt when she realized that her own mother and stepdad were going to kill her. Is this a DP case? If not, it should be. IMOO
Click to expand...

I have DP on Leon, not for Tanya in my notes.

trial I am guessing is still on 9/30/24 - or are we STILL waiting for the GA Supreme Court to rule on the State's appeal on not allowing in Leon's statements - @vls12345 - correct? TIA!
 
Niner said:
@vls12345 - I have trial scheduled for tomorrow, 9/30 - true?? I sure HOPE so!! TIA! :)
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Both Leon Tripp & Tanya Tripp are showing as having a jury trial 30 Sept. 2024.

Case Management Search | Augusta, GA - Official Website

www.augustaga.gov www.augustaga.gov

BUT

I also saw this article that says due to the storm aftermath, all jury trials have been postponed for at least a week & jurors who have been called are told not to report. All court proceedings have been postponed for Monday & Tuesday.


Jury Services | Augusta, GA - Official Website

www.augustaga.gov www.augustaga.gov
(The jury website instructs potential jurors to call in after 5pm on Monday for possible jury reporting info for Tuesday, Oct. 1.)

(Fyi, for those not in the know, Augusta is in east Georgia, which was on the "dirty" side of Hurricane Helene as it came through Georgia.)
 
Last edited:
vls12345 said:
Both Leon Tripp & Tanya Tripp are showing as having a jury trial 30 Sept. 2024.

BUT

I also saw this article that says due to the storm aftermath, all jury trials have been postponed for at least a week & jurors who have been called are told not to report. All court proceedings have been postponed for Monday & Tuesday.


Jury Services | Augusta, GA - Official Website

www.augustaga.gov www.augustaga.gov
(The jury website instructs potential jurors to call in after 5pm on Monday for possible jury reporting info for Tuesday, Oct. 1.)

(Fyi, for those not in the know, Augusta is in east Georgia, which was on the "dirty" side of Hurricane Helene as it came through Georgia.)
Click to expand...
Oh shoot - well - at least the court site says there IS a trial. So I will move it to Wednesday than.

Thanks for that info!
 
I am going to post this - just to keep my notes straight - and shorten this up a bit...

Monday, September 30th:
*Trial set to begin (for both)-POSTPONED to 10/2/24 due to Hurricane Helene (@ 9am ET) - GA - LaTania 'Janell' Carwell (16) (Apr. 17, 2017, Augusta; found Mar. 8, 2018) – *Leon Lamarr Tripp (38/now 45) step-dad arrested (5/23/17) & indicted & charged (3/13/18) of 2 counts of murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, cruelty to children in the 1st degree & concealing a death. [Charges revised see below] Plead not guilty. Bond $500K. DA will seek DP. Richmond County
Indicted & re-charged (11/14/23) & arraigned (12/8/23) with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, family violence, cruelty to children & concealing death of another. Held without bond (11/14/23). Bond reduction denied (3/25/24). Richmond County
*Indicted & charged (10/3/23) & arraigned (10/20/23) with possession of contraband by inmate. Plead not guilty. Richmond County
*Tanya Faye Tripp (35/now 42) "mom" arrested (5/23/17), charged & indicted (3/13/18) of 2nd degree murder, concealing a death & harboring a fugitive. Plead not guilty. $500K bond. Richmond County
Indicted & re-charged (11/14/23) & arraigned (12/8/23) with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, family violence, cruelty to children in the first degree & concealing the death of another. Held without bond (11/14/23). Bond reduction denied (3/25/24). Richmond County
Tanya failed to provide accurate info regarding the circumstances of her daughter’s abduction.
Trial was set to begin on 9/30/24 but was postponed due to Hurricane Helene.
Judge Daniel J. Craig presiding. State attorney Deshala T. Dixon & Leon are Nathaniel L. Studelska & Laura M. Cobb. Tanya’s Defense attorney Arnold Ragas.
Court info from 2/2/18 thru 3/22/24 reference post #84 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...d-mom-stepdad-charged-augusta-2.649996/page-5
3/25/24 Update: The trial was set to begin Monday for Tanya & Leon Tripp, but it’s been delayed. Leon Tripp & Tanya Tripp are both charged with malice murder in the death of Latania Janell Carwell. The trial was set to start Monday, but a bond hearing was called at 10am on 3/25/24. The hearing focused on a legal motion that must be dealt with before the trial can begin. A judge ordered last week for some of Leon Tripp’s statements to be removed & prosecutors appealed that to the Georgia Supreme Court. There won’t be a trial until the Supreme Court issues a decision. The defense pushed Monday for bond to be granted for the Tripps during the waiting period, but the judge denied that request.
3/26/24 Docket updates: Bond hearing transcript (held on 3/25/24). Consent Order to unseal record. Order-denying motion for bond reduction.
3/27/24 Docket updates: 12/18/23 hearing transcript. Hearing transcript (held 3/12/24). 3/28/24: Order-rescinding order dated 3/26/24 (unseal record).
4/5/24 Docket update: Notice of Leave of Absence [Prosecutor DeShala Dixon]. 4/16/24 Docket update: e-filed notice of Leave of Absence. 5/3/24 Docket update: Hearing held on 3/4/24. 5/13/24 Docket update: Leon: Hearing transcript (held 1/24/24). 5/14/24 Docket update: Supreme Court notice of docketing. 5/13/24 Docket update: Tanya: Hearing transcript (held 1/24/24).
5/24/24 Update: The long-awaited trial for the couple was set to start on 3/25/24 but it was put on hold as the Augusta DA’s office appealed a recent decision to exclude statements made by defendant Leon Tripp. The DA’s Special Victims Unit is fighting for justice for Janell. Last week, the trial court ruled that statements made by Defendant Leon Tripp should be excluded from evidence. The following day, we filed an appeal of that decision to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Trial will not commence until the Supreme Court issues a ruling. Our highest priority is presenting the strongest case possible & ensuring justice for our community,” Augusta DA Jared Williams said in a statement in reaction to the ruling. The Georgia Supreme Court could take months to issue a ruling on the prosecution’s appeal & defense attorneys for Leon & Tanya requested a bail reduction in March so their clients could return home. Their bonds reportedly are set at more than $500K each. Both have been jailed for seven years since their arrests. The judge, however, denied bond reductions for both, citing flight risk & a threat to the community.
7/18/24 Docket update: Leon: e-filed defense motion #46: Motion to set a reasonable bond. 9/4/24 Docket update: Tanya: Defendant's letter. Trial is set to begin on 9/30/24 @ 9am.
9/29/24 Update: Due to the storm Helene aftermath, all jury trials have been postponed for at least a week & jurors who have been called are told not to report. All court proceedings have been postponed for Monday & Tuesday. Trial to start on Wednesday, 10/2/24.
 
Niner said:
So.... still postponed?? @vls12345 ? TIA!
Click to expand...

I checked earlier this evening and the court records still show a 9/30 trial date.

The jury services page looks like no jury trials this week:
"All jurors summoned for the week of September 30, 2024 have been excused for the week. Jurors will be reassigned to new dates and will receive a new summons in the mail. Thank you."

Jury Services | Augusta, GA - Official Website

www.augustaga.gov www.augustaga.gov

Eta: The current delays are due to damage/aftermath in the Augusta area from Hurricane Helene.
 
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