A Utah teen will be tried for murder in the hanging suicide of a 16-year-old girl whose death was captured on video.
Tyerell Przybycien, 18, has been charged with murder and a misdemeanor count of failing to report a dead body.
Videos by PopCulture.com
A judge ruled on Tuesday that he would stand trial in the death of Jchandra Brown, who asked Przybycien, a close friend, to help end her life.
The teen texted Brown that he was excited to watch someone die, prosecutors say. “It be awesome,” he wrote. It would “be like getting away with murder,” he added, according to authorities.
More: Woman Claims ‘American Horror Story’ Motivated Her to Murder Her Grandfather
Prosecutors say he planned the details of Brown’s suicide with her, including buying rope and a spray air duster and researching where Brown would eventually hang herself.
Authorities say Przybycien picked Brown up for work on May 5 and drove her to Maple Lake, where he helped tie the rope to a tree and tie a noose, because she didn’t know how.
He fashioned a pedestal for her to stand on, according to prosecutors, and used a cell phone to video tape her putting the noose around her neck and inhaling the pressurized air, which caused her to pass out and fall off the pedestal.
He filmed for 10 minutes and left the phone near her body, along with a receipt showing Przybycien’s credit card was used to purchase the rope, prosecutors said.
Pryzybycien said his client did not end Brown’s life, and that she was responsible for her death.
Tuesday’s court ruling said it was “reasonable to infer” that he intended to cause Brown’s death and without his acts, she would not have died.
If convicted of murder, Przybycien could face 15 years to life in prison. He is expected to enter a plea later this month.
Brown’s mother felt like Przybycien had “groomed” her daughter to kill herself.
“Friends don’t let friends die,” the mother told Fox 13, “So Tyerell was not a friend.”
Up Next: Teen Stabbed to Death in Boxing Riot
Brown’s aunt, Polly Mejia, went further with her words, as she spoke to KSL.
“Her problem was she thought she’d found a friend,” Mejia said. “Instead she’d found a monster.”
Photo Credit: Twitter / @SlyvanusBooks
Most Viewed
-
(Photo by Ben Curtis – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images) -
US singer Miley Cyrus attends the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Angeka Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) -
Antique TV set with color bars, on black background. 3D rendering -
NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
