His Ex-Girlfriend Says He Confessed. The Defense Says She Was Drunk, High, and Lying.

Lanyja Wilkerson took the stand today in the preliminary hearing for Jalen and Charla Pendergrass, both charged in the murder of 17-year-old London Thomas. She's Jalen's ex-girlfriend. She lived with him and his mother for a couple months last summer. And she told the court that Jalen confessed to her what happened the night London disappeared.

Twice. Two different stories.

WATCH THE FULL TESTIMONY Defendant's Ex-Girlfriend Testifies He Confessed to Killing London Thomas

Version One

According to Wilkerson, the first version came during a walk down Inkster Road sometime after Jalen's second release from jail. She said the two of them couldn't talk about it in the house because Jalen was worried the place was bugged. So they walked.

Wilkerson testified that Jalen told her London had taken his phone, showed up at the house in the early morning hours, and that his mother Charla came over. She said Jalen told her London and Charla got into a physical altercation in the basement. London fell through a table. Then, according to Wilkerson, Jalen said he took a leg from that broken table and beat London with it, trying to get the password to her phone and trying to find out where his own phone was.

She testified that Jalen told her London asked to lay down, and he agreed but said he had to tie her up because he didn't trust her. That Charla told him it was enough, to stop. That he stepped out of the room and asked his mother what he should do. And that Charla's response was: "I need you to get mad."

After that, Wilkerson said Jalen told her he pulled London off the bed, grabbed a belt, and choked her until she fell. That he and Charla placed her in a plastic bin. That Charla called someone to help move it.

Version Two

Months later, in July 2025, Wilkerson said she saw Jalen crying. She asked him why. He told her he was worried about his mother. And then he told her a completely different version of what happened.

In this version, Jalen claimed he wasn't involved at all. Said the fight between London and Charla started getting heated, so he went upstairs, put his headphones on, and didn't want to deal with it. When he came back downstairs, London was laying on the floor. He asked his mother what happened. And Charla asked him to help put London in the bin.

That's it. Two stories from the same person. One where he's the killer, one where he walked away and came back to find her already on the floor.

The Cross-Examination Hit Hard

Look, I'm not going to pretend the defense didn't land punches here. They did.

Jalen's attorney, Mr. Clemens, established that Wilkerson admitted to deliberately trying to get Jalen drunk so he would tell her the truth. That both of them were heavily intoxicated during these conversations. Not just alcohol. Mushrooms. Ecstasy. Methamphetamine. She confirmed that drug and alcohol use was a regular part of their routine, and she couldn't say with certainty that she wasn't also on mushrooms during the specific conversation where Jalen allegedly confessed the detailed version.

She also admitted that when police first contacted her in October, she initially told them she didn't have any information. It wasn't until the detective told her that Jalen and Charla had been charged with homicide that she changed course and started sharing what she knew.

Clemens also pulled out the fact that Wilkerson never had a single conversation with Jalen about London Thomas when he was sober. Not one.

What This Means

This is a preliminary hearing, not a trial. The standard here is probable cause, not beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge doesn't need to believe Wilkerson beyond all question. The judge needs to determine whether there's enough to send this to trial.

But the credibility problems are real. The defense built a clear record: the witness was intoxicated, the defendant was intoxicated, drug use was constant, and she initially lied to police. That's the foundation they'll hammer at trial if this goes forward.

On the other side, there's a level of detail in that first version that's hard to invent. The table breaking. The table leg. The belt. The bin. The mother's words. Those specifics either came from somewhere real or this witness constructed an elaborate fiction while drunk and high. The jury will have to decide which one they believe.

Both Jalen and Charla Pendergrass maintain the presumption of innocence. Nothing that happened in this courtroom today changes that. The state has to prove its case. We're watching to make sure they do it right.