A Georgia teenager admitted to killing her mother and brother in a fire in Monroe County in 2020, before fleeing to live with her boyfriend in Oregon.
According to WMAZ-TV, 18-year-old Candace Walton pleaded guilty to all charges in her case, including malice, felony, burglary and first-degree arson. According to The Macon Telegraph, Monroe County District Attorney Jonathan Adams sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge and 10 years on the arson charge.
Because a body was discovered inside her bedroom and her mother's car was missing, Candace Walton was initially believed to be the victim of the fire, according to Adams, according to WMAZ. According to Adams, Walton's mother Tasha Vandiver was allegedly trying to save her daughter from the fire.
On the same day as the fire, Walton was found driving a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu from Vandivar. According to The Associated Press, it will happen hundreds of miles away near Paduka, Kentucky, on July 27, 2020. According to WMAZ, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office issued a missing persons alert for Vandiver, which included a description of the vehicle and its license plate number. According to Adams, Walton brought her mother's $2,300 tax refund with her.
According to The Macon Telegraph, Walton's brother Gerald Walton was also discovered in the house. According to investigators, Vandiver and Gerald Walton are believed to have been asleep when the fire broke out.
Candace Walton, Guilty, Punishment, Murder, Arson;
According to the Associated Press, Candace Walton was reportedly on her way to Oregon with her boyfriend, Kallio Pangelinen. She first met him in Walton, Monroe County, where he was attending school.
According to WMAZ, Adams reviewed the messages between Walton and Pangelinen and concluded that the crime was planned.
According to WMAZ, Adams said, "It was definitely something that was planned, thought through and enacted."
According to The Macon Telegraph, Pangelinen, who was 17 at the time of the crime, has been charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Gerald Walton and Vandiver. He has yet to face the courtroom. His lawyer had previously claimed that Pangelinen had "no hand" in the killings.
According to The Macon Telegraph, Adams said that Candace Walton "expressed remorse." She said that she was also accountable for her actions. However, he did not say why he started the fire.
According to The Macon Telegraph, Walton would have to serve at least 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole.