Two women accused of beating a young mother to death over a man remain in jail.
Channel 2, Matt Johnson, was in Gwinnett County, where we showed you 17-year-old Janine Gonzalez’s emotional moments in court, before Channel 2 Action News at 4 p.m.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Police say Gonzalez and 27-year-old Antonetta Stevens killed Ashley Bocanegra in August by beating her to death, all because she slept with Stevens’ boyfriend.
Stevens was in a relationship with Gonzalez’ brother. The women are accused of using his phone to trick Bocanegra into meeting them, then beat and kicked her until she could not breathe.
Bocanegra died of internal bleeding in her lungs.
Gonzalez was in tears during her court appearance Thursday as the judge laid the case against her.
TRENDING STORIES:
According to police, Stevens started the fight and Gonzalez joined in.
In the courtroom, the police used video footage of the women shooting themselves at them.
Gonzalez’s lawyers have argued that she was just a bystander, but prosecutors said the video proves that is not the case. Police said Gonzalez is the one who filmed Stevens when she started fighting and making threats.
‘She asked Mrs. Janine Gonzalez, ‘Do you want this?’ To which Mrs. Gonzalez replied, “Yes.” And she came and kicked her on her side about three times,” the police said. “You can clearly hear her say, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ about five times. “Are you ready to die?” and, ‘I could do worse.’”
Gonzalez argued that she should be tried for involuntary manslaughter, not murder. But police claimed that Gonzalez was involved in one of the last texts Bocanegra sent. The text was addressed to Gonzalez’s brother.
“It said, ‘I was fine until your sister kicked me in the chest and back,'” the police said.
Both women remain in prison without bond.
