Teens planned grisly death for elderly woman

Two Washington teens who wanted to run away to Portland planned to steal an elderly great-grandmother’s car, then kill her and burn her body in the trunk, according to court documents filed in Oregon.

Shortly after Dyllan Martin, 16, was arrested in the abduction of his great-grandmother, the teen reportedly revealed to a detective the plan he hatched with his friend Billy Underwood, 15, court documents stated.

The plan fell apart when they stopped at a Walmart just west of Portland, and Hazel Abel, 86, managed to pop open the trunk and get to safety inside the store Tuesday morning.

Martin, Underwood and Underwood’s 14-year-old girlfriend were arrested at a nearby gas station and remain in custody in Multnomah County.

“(Martin) and Underwood had planned on knocking Abel out, killing her, putting her body in the trunk of her car, and then disposing of the body by burning the car,” District Attorney Jeffery Auxier, wrote in a probable cause affidavit used to hold the two boys.

Underwood also reportedly said he and Martin “discussed letting (Abel) go three miles into a canyon because she wouldn’t be able to get out, or knocking her unconscious and leaving her at a truck stop,” court documents said.

And documents say that Martin also admitted to a detective “that he had discussed how to get rid of Abel’s body with (the girl) and Underwood.”

Abel, who has since returned home safely with her dog to Kennewick, Wash., told investigators that she answered a knock at the door of her home about 8 p.m. Monday.

She told detectives that when she opened the door, someone threw something in her face and covered her eyes and mouth.

She was pushed to ground and someone jumped on top of her, the affidavit said. Her hands were taped together, something was stuffed in her mouth and her head was covered with an apron.

Abel and her small dog were lifted into the trunk of her car inside her garage and driven several hours to Oregon.

“During the drive, Abel could hear a male voice and a female voice, but she told (a deputy sheriff) she did not recognize the voices,” Auxier wrote. “Abel said the car eventually stopped, at which point she was able to untie her hands and pull a cord that unlatched the trunk.”

Court documents show all three admitted to some role in the abduction.

Underwood admitted to attacking Abel at the door, helping cover her head and tie her hands, court documents said.

The girl told detectives that the teens wanted to run away to Oregon, and Martin brought up the idea of “using” his great-grandmother’s car, court documents said. The girl, whose name was not released, apparently waited outside the house while the boys went inside.

After Abel was in the trunk, the girl climbed into in the passenger seat, Underwood was driving and Martin was in the back when they headed to Oregon, court documents said. When they stopped to get gas, the girl lifted the trunk lid to make sure Abel was still breathing, she told investigators.

The group stopped at Walmart to buy toiletries about 1 a.m. Tuesday and when they came back outside, they saw Abel standing with an employee, so they took off.

Investigators used store surveillance video to search the area for the three teens.

The boys face several felony charges, including kidnapping and robbery.

The district attorney’s office is expected to handle the girl’s case in juvenile court.

Benton County, Wash., court records show Martin recently attended a juvenile justice program, but he has no criminal history.

He told Oregon detectives that he had stolen $60 from his great-grandmother last week and later returned to ask for more money, but she said she only had $2.

Juvenile court records show Underwood

has one conviction after pleading guilty in April 2013 to residential burglary and being sentenced to 10 days.

A grand jury in Oregon is expected to review the cases in the next week to determine if the boys will be indicted. Benton County prosecutors are working with Multnomah County prosecutors to determine where the case will be prosecuted.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Teens planned grisly death for elderly woman."