Teen Sexually Assaulted 61-Year-Old Woman At Her Home Before Stabbing Her 12 Times: Cops

A Nebraska teen has been arrested for fatally stabbing an elderly woman after sexually assaulting her on Halloween night, authorities said.

Daniel Dejaynes-Beaman, 18, was charged with first-degree murder and the use of a weapon to commit a felony in connection with the killing of 61-year-old Jolene Harshbarger at her home. Dejaynes-Beaman has been accused of stabbing the victim 12 times and sexually assaulting her, Omaha World-Herald reported.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted that he was at Harshbarger’s home on Oct. 31 and entered a “physical altercation” with her which ended up with stabbing, an affidavit said.

Harshbarger was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her bedroom by her adult son who stayed with her during weekends. She had stab wounds to her hands, arms, upper back and neck. The police interviewed the victim's son and cleared him of any wrongdoing, Chief Deputy Douglas County Attorney Brenda Beadle said.

Investigators soon traced the suspect and found that he got acquainted with the victim through his cousin’s mom last week. The police have also recovered the knife that he allegedly used to kill Harshbarger.

An autopsy revealed that the victim had “additional injuries indicating violent sexual penetration,” and the investigators said the charges against Dejaynes-Beaman will likely be upgraded for the alleged sexual assault.

“It’s still an ongoing investigation and the police are still working with interviews and collecting evidence and DNA. So, I don’t think that the charges are necessarily set in stone yet,” Beadle said.

Meanwhile, Dejaynes-Beaman's father expressed his shock and disbelief at his son's actions. The suspect's family claimed that the teen was high on methamphetamines and alcohol during the killing and the victim was drunk during the alleged assault, Latin Times reported.

The investigators have not determined the exact motive behind the sudden violent attack. “I don’t have a reason why, I don’t think I could ever come up with a reason somebody would do this,” Beadle added.

The court ordered Dejaynes-Beaman to be held without bail after he appeared in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.