The THORNTON Children (2009) - Pulaski TN

Police say a high school student has been arrested for the deaths of a
Giles County mother and her two children who were found in a house fire.

Giles County Sheriff Kyle Helton reported that 18-year-old William
Angel was arrested on three counts of homicide and held without bond
Friday night.

Firefighters responded to a fire early Friday
morning at a mobile home after neighbors reported hearing an explosion.
The bodies of 38-year-old Desere Thornton, 16-year-old Jerrod Thornton
and 9-year-old Anthony Thornton were found inside.

Helton said the crime was a shock to the community.

* * * *

Investigators have one suspect in custody and another suspect will be charged for the crime as well.
Detectives are still working hard on the case. "We feel that if
both subjects are going to be charged, they are equally involved with
this crime, and they will be treated the same through the court
system," said Giles County Sheriff, Kyle Helton. The Giles
County Sheriff's Department says two people were responsible for the
brutal murders of Desere Thornton and her two sons, Jerrod and
Anthony. Their bodies were found in their Pulaski home which had been
set on fire. Investigators continued Saturday to sift through
clues. They say they've already retrieved several pieces of critical
evidence in the case. Authorities have already charged William
Angel, 18, with three counts of homicide, and a second teen will also be charged after he is released from
the hospital. Sources say the boy is recovering from serious burn
injuries. On Saturday those who knew the Thornton's paid respects at the fitness gym owned by Desere. "I was upset last night, thinking about Jerrod's death. It's depressing," said Taylor Warren, Jerrod's classmate. Information on the motive behind the murders is expected to be released within the next few days.

DA To Seek Death Penalty After Teens Charged

No 18-Year-Old Ever Given Death Penalty In Tenn.

January 21, 2010

PULASKI, Tenn. -- The triple murder of a family in Giles County that was covered up by a house fire has led the district attorney to attempt to make Tennessee history. The district attorney will seek the death penalty for the two 18-year-old suspects -- something that's never been successfully prosecuted there.Matthew Wood and William Angel Jr. broke into another high school boy's house, where they allegedly used knives to butcher 16-year-old Jerod Thornton, his mom, Desere, and his 9-year-old brother, Anthony.The two were arrested after they were found burned after a fire was set to the Thornton home.

District Attorney Mike Bottoms is seeking the death penalty because of three key reasons: A child was murdered, the facts will reveal cruelty or torture and a person who kills three people in Tennessee is considered a mass murderer.

Criminal defense attorney David Raybin knows his criminal law: He wrote Tennessee criminal code. And although he calls this a classic death penalty case, one issue sticks out: the suspects are both 18 years old.

There are 89 people on death row in Tennessee. Not one of them was convicted as an 18-year-old. No 18-year-old has ever been given the death penalty in Tennessee.Bottoms said he cannot reveal the facts of the case. He told Channel 4 the family's deaths were carefully thought out and will show this is clearly a death penalty case when the whole story comes out.

Court Accepts Plea Deal For Matthew Wood, William Angel

Jan 31, 2011



PULASKI, Tenn.– The two Giles County teens accused of killing a mother and her two children pleaded guilty Monday to triple murder.

Matthew Wood and William Angel accepted plea deals for life in prison without parole.

Wood and William Angel cut a plea deal with prosecutors to not face the death penalty. Wood's plea went before the judge Monday morning. Angel was in court around 1 p.m. and pleaded guilty around 2:30 p.m.

The two were accused of killing Desere Thornton and her two sons, 16-year-old Jerrod and 9-year-old Anthony, in Giles County on October 23, 2009.

Authorities believe Wood and Angel stabbed the Thornton family and set their house on fire to cover up the evidence.

Woods and Angel both admitted smoking marijuana, drinking vodka and popping pills the day of the murders.

"I was under the influence of drugs, but I understood what was going on," said Wood in court.

"And you could have stopped and controlled your conduct?" the judge asked.

"Yes, sir," Wood responded.

Wood did not blame the crime on the marijuana, vodka, or pills he was taking. In a written confession, he wrote he was jealous over an ex-girlfriend spending time with Jerrod Thornton.

The horrific details were outlined for the first time in court on Monday. Woods signed the confession including how he chased down the 9-year-old victim.

It stated that Woods "stabbed and cut his throat, all the while Anthony was yelling ‘Stop, it hurts. Please stop! Don't kill me, I am just a little boy.'"

"You killed the young and innocent. Your crime is the most shocking, horrific and heinous crime ever committed in Giles County," said Patricia Thornton, the victim's grandmother in court.

Even the defense attorneys were at a loss to explain.

"I don't know of any explanation for what happened out there, no explanation at all. These were two good kids that came from good families," said Woods' attorney Bill Massey.

District Attorney General Mike Bottoms planned to seek the death penalty, but accepted the plea deal from the defense, after the victims' family said they could not handle the emotion of a trial.

Both teens pleaded guilty to three counts of felony first degree murder in exchange for life in prison with no chance for parole.