A Monroe County teenager has pleaded guilty to killing her mother and brother in a house fire in 2020, according to news reports.
Candace Walton, who was 16 when the crimes were committed, pleaded guilty to all counts in the case Wednesday, according to WMAZ. The charges included malice murder and felony murder for each victim, theft by taking and first-degree arson, WMAZ reported.
Walton was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for killing Gerald Walton, her 21-year-old brother who had special needs, and mother Tasha Vandiver, according to WMAZ.
Credit: Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Kaleo Pangelinan, Walton’s boyfriend and the other suspect in the case, is scheduled for trial later this year, WMAZ reported.
Walton was sentenced to two life sentences to be served concurrently, WGXA reported. She will be eligible for release after 30 years.
“This was not a crime of passion or a drug deal gone bad; those you can kind of explain away ... This is something where a 16-year-old child got a plan with her boyfriend to murder her mother and disabled brother,” Towaliga Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jonathan Adams told WGXA.
Emergency units responded to a fire at the family’s home on Old Zebulon Road early Feb. 27, 2020.
When crews arrived, the house was engulfed in flames, and two bodies later were found inside.
Candace Walton was found later that day in McCracken County, Kentucky, where U.S. Marshals pulled her over in her mother’s stolen car.
Adams told The Associated Press that authorities believe Candace Walton was trying to drive to Oregon to live with Pangelinan. The two met when Pangelinan attended school with Walton in Monroe County.
“There was a tax rebate that was cashed by the mom that was stolen, we believe by Candace, and she stole mom’s car, the cash rebate, and was driving to Oregon to visit the boyfriend essentially to start over a new life,” Adams told WMAZ.
Pangelinan was arrested in May 2020 in Roseburg, Oregon, and charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths.
Prosecutors presented evidence Wednesday in court that showed Walton and Pangelinan exchanged text messages about how Walton could kill her family.
About the Author
