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KEY POINTS
- A girl who allegedly plotted the death of her mother loses in her appeal bid again
- Jamie Silvonek filed an appeal to have her plea vacated but was denied by the Superior Court
- Silvonek and Caleb Barnes are serving life sentences for the death of Cheryl Silvonek
A 22-year-old woman who is being charged for killing her mother with the help of her then-boyfriend lost her bid for a new trial after it was rejected by the Lehigh County Court in Pennsylvania on Thursday, Jan. 19.
She was identified as Jamie Silvonek who was just 14 at the time of the murder of her mom, Cheryl Silvonek. The incident happened in March 2015 in the 54-year-old woman’s car.
According to prosecutors, Jamie plotted with her boyfriend at the time, Caleb Barnes, to kill her mother, Pennlive.com reported. They added that Jamie pushed Barnes to do it and then get rid of the body.
Witnesses at the time said the older Silvonek persuaded Jamie to end her relationship with Barnes because of her daughter’s young age. Barnes was a soldier stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland when he and the then-14-year-old girl were dating.
Before the death of Cheryl, witnesses said she had driven Jamie and Barnes to a concert. However, she caught them having sex in the car.
An argument ensued and Barnes allegedly stabbed Cheryl in the neck, according to a report by the Morning Call.
Barnes was convicted in a trial of all charges, including first-degree murder. The then 20-year-old was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 22 to 40 years.
As for Jamie, she was charged as an adult after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and related charges in February 2016.
She is serving a 35-year to life sentence in prison and will be turning 22 years old next month.
It was the latest setback for Jamie who has appealed to courts in the past. This included an appeal to have her case sent back to juvenile court in April 2016, the Lehigh Valley Live reported.
Aside from that, she also filed an appeal in October 2021, seeking to have her plea vacated. This time, she was claiming that her legal counsel was ineffective and that her guilty plea was not knowing and voluntary.
The Superior Court affirmed on Thursday the denial by the lower court on Jamie’s appeal back in February.
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