Teen suspect to use insanity defense

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - In Niagara Falls, a teenage suspect charged with murdering a five-year-old girl appears to be moving forward with an insanity defense. Starting Monday, 18-year-old John Freeman Jr. will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

That’s according to Robert Viola, the attorney representing Freeman. Freeman is accused of killing Isabella Tenant last August while she was at her great grandmother’s home on 6th Street in Niagara Falls.

Freeman’s friend, 20-year-old Tyler Best, is charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence. Police say Freeman choked little Isabella to death. He and Best then allegedly put Bella’s body in a garbage can in a nearby alley.

Bella’s mother Crystal Walker said, “And I don't understand, he could've just left her in the basement and made it look like she fell but instead, he took her little body three streets away and put her in a garbage can and who does that?”

Freeman’s psychological examination will start Monday and is expected to last until Wednesday. The examination is also expected to push Freeman’s trial date to later this spring or summer.