Mother of London Thomas' killer pleads guilty to tampering with evidence
A Clawson woman has pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in the death of 17-year-old London Thomas — the Detroit teenager her son is serving 25 to 50 years in prison for killing — the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said.
Charla Pendergrass pleaded as charged Wednesday to one count of tampering with evidence. She still faces charges of felony murder, premeditated murder and unlawful imprisonment.
The prosecutor's office said there is no sentencing agreement on file, and sentencing is delayed until the remaining three charges are resolved. She is scheduled for a final conference on Oct. 28 in Wayne County Circuit Court, with trial on the other charges set for Nov. 2.
Her son, Jalen Pendergrass, was sentenced on July 31 in Wayne County Circuit Court to 25 to 50 years in prison for second-degree murder in the death of his 17-year-old girlfriend.
Thomas was last seen around 4 a.m. April 5, 2025, in Inkster, and her family filed a police report on April 6, 2025, when she did not return home. Family and friends organized searches to find the teen. Her body was found on April 26, 2025, in Southfield, inside a parked SUV in a driveway in the area of Millard Street near Berg Road.
A medical examiner determined that Thomas died from asphyxia and ruled the manner of death as homicide.
During a plea hearing on July 2, Jalen Pendergrass admitted to meeting up with Thomas at an Inkster residence on April 5, 2025, and admitted that the two had gotten into a physical altercation. He admitted to putting his hands around Thomas' neck until the point where she was no longer breathing.
Inkster police received a tip on April 26, 2025, from a friend of Charla Pendergrass, Wayne County prosecutors said. The friend alleged that she called him on April 7, 2025, and asked him to move a "sealed plastic bin with unknown contents," prosecutors said. The friend placed the bin in an SUV on Millard Street in Southfield on April 11, 2025, authorities said.
Jalen Pendergrass and his mother were both charged in October 2025 in connection with Thomas' death. At the time of arraignment, the two entered not guilty pleas.
The above video originally aired on July 31, 2026.
