New trial sought for teen convicted in mother’s slaying

Posted May 14, 2019 3:33 pm.

This article is more than 5 years old.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Attorneys for a teenager convicted in the murder of her mother in eastern Pennsylvania are seeking a new trial, calling the outcome of her case “shocking.”

Now-18-year-old Jamie Silvonek was sentenced to 35 years to life after pleading guilty in the Lehigh County killing of 54-year-old Cheryl Silvonek in 2015, when the teen was 14.

Co-defendant Caleb Barnes of El Paso, Texas, a soldier at Fort Meade, Maryland, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that Silvonek’s new attorneys argue that not enough evidence was presented about her background and mental health, leading to what they called “an inaccurate, myopic view of Jamie as lying, manipulative and savvy beyond her years.” Her previous attorney defended his representation, saying he “wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

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Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com

The Associated Press

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