Any murder of an innocent teen is tragic enough, but some cases surpass our nightmares and fall into the realm of the truly strange.
When LaTania “Janell” Carwell went missing with her stepfather in the early morning hours of her “sweet 16” birthday — on April 17, 2017 — an entire Georgia community turned into armchair detectives, and Augusta police pieced together clues for ten months.
Then the horrible truth came to light: Janell’s remains were found buried in a shallow grave not far from home, and her very much alive stepfather, Leon Tripp, and mother, Tanya Tripp, were the alleged culprits.
In March 2018, Leon was charged with malice murder and Tanya with second-degree murder, but her charges were later upgraded to match her husband’s after an indictment in November 2023. Now, they both face the death penalty in Georgia.
The investigation has brought bombshell after bombshell — but none more explosive than court documents filed by prosecutors in June 2020. The Georgia District Attorney filed a motion to introduce evidence of “Solicitation of Murder” allegedly committed by Leon and Tanya, suggesting that they contacted a hitman to kill their daughter Janell on at least three separate occasions dating back to when she was just 14 years old.
An unknown number of meetings allegedly occurred between September and December 2015, with two additional meetings allegedly taking place in October 2016, according to the filing.
Many questions remained unanswered: Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges. While there’s no clear motive for the murder, many people following the case have speculated that Tanya was jealous over an inappropriate relationship between Leon and Janell. When local station WJBF NewsChannel 6 asked Tanya about the theory, she denied it.
“Really,” she told reporters. “He married to all this prettiness, and he gon’ run away with our daughter? Come on now. That’s stupid!”
What Happened to Janell Carwell?
The high schooler was an honor student who dreamed of being a doctor one day. By all accounts, she was a soft-spoken and kind person, and nothing seemed amiss during her 16th birthday celebration, which also happened to be Easter Sunday. But after the party, Janell would never be seen alive again.
Leon claimed a friend with car trouble needed help in Clarks Hill, South Carolina, and convinced Janell to ride along with him around 1:30 am on April 17, 2017. Her mother, Tanya, explained to police that Leon needed help navigating, and Janell had a smartphone. The two never returned, and Tanya called 911 about 24 hours after their disappearance.
The pair were still missing two weeks later when Tanya turned to the public for sympathy — and money.
In a Facebook Live video facilitated by family friend Pastor Angela Harden, Tanya falsely claimed to have lung and brain cancer during a plea for funds to help find her husband and daughter. However, the elaborate plot soon unraveled after police began fielding reports that Leon was in Atlanta alone and Janell was nowhere in sight.
Janell’s “digital footprint” had disappeared, and all her phone activity ceased, police told the news at the time. Investigators also dug into Leon’s past and discovered he had previous charges of cruelty to children and had spent time in prison for aggravated assault.
When authorities caught up to Leon in Atlanta on May 24, 2017, at a U-Haul facility, they found Tanya by his side. She claimed she accidentally bumped into her husband, but police didn’t buy it, and the two were arrested on the spot. Leon was arrested for kidnapping and Tanya for hindering the apprehension of a criminal, but those charges were later upgraded to murder after Janell’s body was found in a shallow grave not far from her home in March 2018.
The Long Road to Trial
There’s no doubt the Tripps’ cases have languished for too long, thanks in part to COVID-era postponements. The long-awaited trial for the couple was set to start on March 25, 2024, but it was put on hold as the Augusta District Attorney’s office appealed a recent decision to exclude statements made by defendant Leon Tripp.
The defense contends that a homicide detective questioned Leon without his attorney present in May and June 2017, before Janell’s remains were found, and police illegally recorded his conversations during the investigation. His lawyers believe this was an intentional violation of Tripp’s right to communicate privately with his attorney and to be free of continual attempts at interrogation after he invoked his right to counsel, reported The Augusta Press.
In November 2022, Leon sought either a complete dismissal of the case or, at the least, a suppression of evidence. The court ruled in March 2024 that the statements could not be used as evidence. The impact this will have on Tanya’s case is unclear.
“The DA’s Special Victims Unit is fighting for justice for Janell. Last week, the trial court ruled that statements made by Defendant Leon Tripp should be excluded from evidence. The following day, we filed an appeal of that decision to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Trial will not commence until the Supreme Court issues a ruling. Our highest priority is presenting the strongest case possible and ensuring justice for our community,” Augusta District Attorney Jared Williams said in a statement in reaction to the ruling.
The Georgia Supreme Court could take months to issue a ruling on the prosecution’s appeal, and defense attorneys for Leon and Tanya requested a bail reduction in March so their clients could return home. Their bonds reportedly are set at more than $500,000 each. Both have been jailed for seven years since their arrests.
“We are asking for a very low bond for Mr. Tripp to be out pending however long this appeal is going to take,” said Nathanial Studelska, Leon’s attorney, as reported by local CBS affiliate station WRDW in March.
Tanya Tripp’s attorney, Arnold Ragas, said: “We want a signature bond and allow her to live her life outside of the cage, something she hasn’t been able to do in 82 months.”
The judge, however, denied bond reductions for both, citing flight risk and a threat to the community. For friends and family, justice seems slow, but the Augusta DA is determined that no one will forget the bright young girl.
