STERLING, Ill. (AP) — Charges have been filed against a 15-year-old northern Illinois girl accused of helping conceal her friend’s killing of her mother.
The teen made her initial court appearance Tuesday on charges of arson and concealing a homicidal death. The girl was helping her 15-year-old friend, who is charged with first-degree murder among other counts, in the death of her 53-year-old mother, Peggy S. Schroeder of Morrison.
Police say Schroeder’s body was found in a burning home July 8 in the city about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of Chicago. Authorities say Schroeder’s 15-year-old daughter shot her in the head and tried to conceal the body by setting the house on fire.
The attorney for the daughter’s friend didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
Both girls are in custody. They are scheduled to return to court Aug. 29.
