MI v. Jalen & Charla Pendergrass

Jalen Pendergrass, 24, and his mother, Charla Pendergrass, 49, each stand charged with first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, unlawful imprisonment, and tampering with evidence in the death of 17-year-old London Thomas. The State alleges that London was last seen around 4 a.m. on April 5, 2025, when her sister dropped her at Jalen's home on Carlysle Street in Inkster, Michigan, and that she was killed inside that house. Prosecutors say her body was sealed inside a plastic storage bin, moved to an SUV parked on Millard Street in Southfield, and found three weeks later, on April 26. The Oakland County Medical Examiner ruled she died from asphyxia and classified the manner of death as homicide. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. If convicted of first-degree murder, each faces mandatory life in prison without parole.

This case is contested on almost every front. The prosecution's theory of premeditation rests heavily on one witness, a former girlfriend of Jalen who says he confessed and told her his mother directed him to kill London. She also acknowledges that both she and Jalen were under the influence when that alleged confession happened, and she did not come forward for months. Charla's attorney points out that earlier charges against his client were dismissed twice, and calls the current filing recycled evidence. An earlier charge collapsed on a statutory gap, because the person she allegedly lied to was an FBI agent rather than a "peace officer" under Michigan law. Watch the witness credibility fight, the DNA said to be on the bin handles, and whether the State can prove this killing was planned rather than spontaneous.

We are not here to convict anyone, and we are not here to acquit anyone. Both Jalen and Charla Pendergrass are presumed innocent, and the jury has not decided anything. Our job is to watch whether the system does what it is built to do: hold the State to its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt while protecting the constitutional rights of everyone in that courtroom. London Thomas and her family deserve a trial that respects her memory and respects the law. For the full account of the allegations, the people involved, the charges, and the road to trial, read the complete background report below.