Boy, 16, 'killed his mother with his friend's help' after she confiscated his cell phone
- The body of Tina Helms Spencer, 36, was found at her home in Mesa, Arizona, on Saturday morning
- Son Mike Helms, 16, has been booked into juvenile detention on charges including first-degree murder and tampering with evidence
- Police say the boy and his mom had a heated argument after he had his cell phone taken from him
- A hearing will be held to determine if the boy and his 17-year-old accomplice should be charged as adults
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A 16-year-old boy is facing first degree murder charges after his mom’s body was found at the family’s home in the early hours of Saturday.
The body of Tina Helms Spencer, 36, was found murdered in the backyard shed at the property in Mesa, Arizona.
Her son, Mike Helms, has been booked into juvenile detention on charges including first-degree murder, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.
Mike Helms is facing first degree murder charges
after the body of his mom, Tina Helms Spencer, 36, was found at the
family's home in Mesa, Arizona, on Saturday
A 17-year-old friend of the son was booked into juvenile detention on charges of first-degree murder as an accomplice, evidence tampering and concealment of a body.
Police say the 16-year-old had been grounded and had his phone taken away.
After his mom returned home from work, they allegedly had a heated argument over the phone and he decided to kill her.
Cops were alerted after receiving a phone call from the son’s stepfather. He also had been attacked by the boy after returning home from work but had managed to escape after a short struggle.
Helms has been booked into juvenile detention on
charges including first-degree murder, aggravated assault and tampering
with evidence
During the investigation, police ended up speaking with a 17-year-old friend of the son at his nearby home, when the 16-year-old arrived, he was immediately taken into custody.
Authorities expect a hearing will be held to determine if the juveniles will be charged as adults.
A hammer and a frying pan were found at the scene, which police believe were involved in the incident.
Police say the 16-year-old asked his friend to act as a lookout so he could attack her when she came home.
School friend Mike O'Connor described Helms as a 'giant teddy' and a friendly kid who sometimes fought with his parents
Afterward, police say the 16-year-old decided to also kill his stepfather, but they don't believe the 17-year-old was part of that plan.
A school friend of Helms described him as a friendly kid, a junior ROTC cadet in high school.
'He's a giant teddy. He's tough on the outside. He puts up that front, but when you get to know him, he's a standup guy,' Mike O'Connor told FOX10.
'He didn't really have home issues he talked about. If he did, it was typical stuff. One week he'd have a fight with this parents, the next week he was talking about how his mom was awesome and helping him out with something.'
Video: Boy, 16, accused of murdering his mom
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