US teenager held on suspicion of killing his mother

Jodhpur: An American teenager arrested on suspicion of killing his mother at a tourist resort in western India was further remanded to the juvenile home at Jodhpur, in the historical north western Indian city for three more days and would be produced before the juvenile court on September 6.

His attorney Manisha Vyas said that the juvenile court judge Ishwar Lal Verma was on leave and the court officer had asked the defendant’s attorney to produce Joncarlo Patton, 16 on Monday.

Vyas told on Friday that the police was not also not ready with the charge sheet against Joncarlo and it is likely that the police would table the charge sheet against Joncarlo on Monday.

Joncarlo Patton, 16, was picked up at an airport in Jodhpur on Aug. 13, a day after his mother, Cindy Iannarelli of Cecil, Pennsylvania, was found dead with her throat slit at the resort in the town of Osian in Rajasthan state. Police arrested him after questioning. Joncarlo’s father Richard Iannerelli is a professor in University of Pittsburgh, Pennsyslvania and it was at his behest that an attorney was appointed to defend Joncarlo.

Joncarlo in a written statement given to Judge Verma, Patton insisted he was innocent and rejected police claims that he had confessed to killing his mother after an argument. Patton said police were pressuring him to falsely confess.

But Bhupendra Dak, the inspector general of police of Jodhpur region told Gulf News that the statement in writing submitted by Joncarlo was not true. He said that the police never pressurized him during preliminary investigation and there was no truth in the statement made by the suspect that his thumb impressions and signatures were obtained under coercion.

“We have obtained his signature in police papers in compliance with the conditions of law after his arrest on August 13.It is mandatory on the part of the police to get some papers signed by the suspect when he is arrested on charges as grievous as murder. But no other papers were signed by him. He has been produced before the juvenile court and the juvenile court has sent him to the juvenile home and is billeted under the lawful protection of the juvenile home authorities” said Dak.

Dak said the police has not obtained any confessional statement of any sort from Joncarlo wherein he stated that he murdered his mother at the resort.

“However we have gathered enough evidences against Joncarlo and the police is assured that it was Joncarlo who killed his mother using a sharp-edged weapon. The weapon has not been discovered.But the police has taken moulds of his footprint from the spot on the sand dune near the resort where she was killed . On examination it was found that the moulds matched the feet of Joncarlo.The body of Cindy was dumped at the sand dune after wrapping it with a white bed sheet.” Added Dak

Dak said on the night of August 12 after having a heated argument with his divorced mother, Joncarlo asked the hotel staff to get him a sharp knife under the pretext that he had to cut plastic cord for opening a box.The hotel staff as evidence recorded before the police had admitted having given the sharp-edged knife to Joncarlo.

“We also have proof of Joncarlo writing in his facebook about his bitter relationship with his mother.In several Facebook posts, he referred to his mother as "satan" and "bitch."On Sept. 17, 2009, he wrote: "I am going to kill my mom," without any further explanation.” added Dak.

Dak said the police also obtained blood-stained clothes of Joncarlo and also travel documents and credit card of his mother after arresting him.

Police superintendent Girdhari Lal Sharma said Patton told police he attacked his mother because he was traumatized by his parents' divorce and wanted them to reconcile.