Was Jamie Silvonek Coerced By Adult Boyfriend In Murder Of Her Mom?

Eighth-grader Jamie Silvonek has been ordered to stay in an adult jail in Allentown, Pennsylvania, after she was charged with killing her mother. Lehigh Valley News reports that the 14-year-old girl is accused of conspiring with her 20-year-old boyfriend, Caleb Barnes, in the horrific stabbing death of 54-year-old Cheryl Silvonek. NBC News Philadelphia reports that the girl’s attorney claims that she was coerced by her older adult boyfriend, but the evidence appears to show otherwise. Was this 14-year-old schoolgirl actually the one who did the coercing?

Prosecutors in Pennsylvania say they have all the evidence they need to prove that Silvonek played a very active role in the murder of her 54-year-old mother. That evidence includes a series of text messages sent between the teen and her 20-year-old boyfriend. Those text messages appear to spell out the opposite of what the girl’s attorney is trying to push off as her defense. In fact, the text messages between Jamie Silvonek and Caleb Barnes make things look like she was the one in control. The teen reportedly instigated the series of texts encouraging her boyfriend to kill her mother on March 14 — the day before her mom was killed.

“She threatened to throw me out of the house. I want her gone.”

“I just need to you [sic] be able to come over so we can do whatever necessary, honestly.”

“I’m going to go to the bathroom while you do it okay. I’ll come right out as soon as you’re done.”

“Why don’t we wait until we get in the car with her?”

“Just do it.”

These were all things that she had texted to Barnes, who evidently saw no problem in plotting the murder of a 14-year-old girl’s mother. Of course, there are more details to this case that indicate that this relationship was manipulated from the beginning. It’s been revealed that Jamie Silvonek lied to the man about her age in the beginning, telling him she was 17-years-old when she was in fact only 13. She also asked him to lie to her mother about his age, having him tell the woman that he was just over 16-years-old himself. It was when this web of lies fell apart that Jamie reportedly began plotting the murder of her mother.

Do you think Jamie Silvonek was manipulated and taken advantage by her 20-year-old boyfriend, or do you think this 14-year-old girl manipulated him into killing her mom when she couldn’t get her way? Whatever the truth may be, she has been charged as an adult and she will likely remain in an adult jail until she goes on trial.

[Photo: Images via Twitter/Lehigh Valley News]