A teenage girl and her boyfriend are behind bars, accused of murdering her grandmother, stealing from her, and fleeing town. Now, a judge says they won’t be getting out anytime soon.
Tara King, 17, and her boyfriend, Uriah Urick, 18, are accused of murdering 61-year-old Tammy Sue King in Bacliff and were denied bond during their first court appearance on Tuesday.
The two teenagers both requested court-appointed attorneys, with Urick stating he would use one until his mother could hire a defense lawyer.
Magistrate Judge Stephen Baker denied their release as they face capital murder charges.
Authorities say Tammy King was found nude and shot in the head at her ransacked home on February 8. Deputies arrested the young couple in Laredo two days later.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the pair allegedly tried to transfer thousands of dollars from Tammy King’s bank account using payment apps.
Urick’s mother told investigators that Tara King often spoke about hating her grandmother and wanting her dead, adding that she believed her son was capable of murder.
KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel spoke with couple who saw the teens at their League City apartment complex. Records show they paid a man to stay at his place while on the run. The couple said they noticed the teens whispering as they walked by, but didn’t think anything of it. The couple said they spoke with the man after he came home to find the teens were gone, but they left behind their dog.
“She appeared behind our car, approximately 7:40 Friday night,” said Brooke Paxton.
“Saturday morning, this place was swarmed with detectives and everything, and I went out to run an errand and came back, and, she was still around, so I took her inside. The neighbor was coming outside so I went and talked to him. He said, ‘You know, there’s something going on. He’s like, you can look it up.’ Little did I know he was the one who housed the teenagers. I went and looked it up really quick, and I was like, my goodness, this is crazy,” said Theo Paxton.
Brooke Paxton said she was told by detectives at the scene that the teens were trying to get the dog to get into the car with them, but she did not want to go. They ended up leaving her as they appeared to be in a rush.
The Paxton’s have now welcomed the dog into their home.
“The sheriff said that she is technically abandoned property in the state of Texas,” said Brooke Paxton.
Even remaining her from Salem to Lilly Jane.
“She is a baby girl. She lays down, belly up. She’s very happy. I would have never suspected that her parents were under investigation,” said Paxton.