17-Year-Old Charged in Killing of Sister, Mother and Her Boyfriend: Police

A 17-year-old from St. Francis County, Arkansas, has been arrested and charged with the triple murder of his sister, mother and her boyfriend from November 2022, according to reports.

On Thursday, police announced that Jonathan Rolfe was arrested Tuesday at a relative’s home in St. Francis and charged with three counts of capital murder after he allegedly shot and killed his 34-year-old mom, Shalanda Barton, her 32-year-old boyfriend, Ja’Terrance Wright, and Barton's daughter, 13-year-old Kelsie Thompson, ABC 24 reported.

The bodies were found just before 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2022, when police conducted a wellness check on Barton’s home. Wright and Barton were found shot to death in a bed and Thompson was found shot to death in her bed, according to KAIT 8.

Investigators say they found Barton’s black Cadillac not far from Rolfe’s girlfriend’s residence, according to St. Francis deputies.

Deputies say the forensic report links Rolfe to the homicides, according to KAIT 8.

Rolfe, who turns 18 in May, is being held without bail at the Craighead County Juvenile Detention Center, deputies said.

Rolfe will be charged as an adult in the case, according to KAIT 8.

“It was absolutely cold-blooded murder,” St. Francis County Sheriff Bobby May said during a news conference Thursday.

It remains unclear if Rolfe has entered a plea or obtained legal representation.

Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the St. Francis County Clerk, prosecutor’s office, office of the public defender and St. Francis Sheriff’s Office for comment and more information on the case but has not heard back.

Clarice Jackson, a relative of Wright’s, spoke to reporters during Thursday’s news conference.

“It’s been really hard not knowing who the person was that accosted Ja’Terrance and the other decedents in this case, and not knowing if the person was next to us… or if the community at large was still at risk,” Jackson said. “I understand Ja’Terrance was a stranger to him, but to know he could kill his mother and sibling in cold blood, in such a way is really hard to wrap my mind and understand that.”

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