Teen girl charged with murder after she 'convinced her boyfriend and his friend to stab and beat to death a man she claimed sexually abused her'

A teenage girl, her boyfriend and his friend are facing murder charges after cops say she convinced the pair to kill a man she accused of sexually abusing her.

Lavaya Ann May, 16, boyfriend Jonathan Ruffini, 18, and 23-year-old friend Hunter Tyson are accused of murdering Ted Lee, 58, on July 14 in Florida.

Police say Ruffini and Tyson waited inside Lee's house armed with a 10lb baseball bat and a knife on May's instruction, before beating and stabbing him to death.

The attack was so severe that a piece of Lee's skull broke off and ended up embedded in the wall of his house, officers allege.

After the attack the trio loaded Lee's body into the trunk of his car and fled the state before being arrested in Kansas.

Investigators say Lee has never been arrested in Lee County, and they are not aware of any evidence to support May's claims, News-press.com reports. dead Ted:

Detectives say the incident began around two months ago when Tyson and Ruffini began taking cough syrup - which can be hallucinatory in high doses - and cutting themselves together.

During one session with May, the girl confided that the man she called 'Uncle Ted' had been molesting her since she was eight years old.

Over the course of several weeks the trio are accused of plotting Lee's murder, before putting their plan into action on July 13, People reports.

May accused Lee of abusing her since she was eight years old, but these claims have not been verified

As Lee arrived home, police say that Ruffini fired off a text message to May saying simply: 'It's time.' 

After Lee walked inside the property Tyson began beating him with the bat, hitting him '15 to 20 times' in the head, detectives allege.

One of the blows was so severe that a piece of Lee's skull broke off and embedded itself in the sheetrock.

Police say Ruffini testified that after Lee fell to the ground, he approached him and stabbed him in the abdomen while he was still alive.

Ruffini told officers that Tyson pulled the knife out and stabbed Lee again, before twisting the blade. 

The men then soaked the blood-covered areas of the house with bleach, before wrapping Lee's body in a sheet, blanket, and rug, arrest warrants say.

May then arrived back at the house, investigators say, hugging Ruffini and Tyson and telling them she was 'glad Lee was dead.'

The group are then accused of dragging Lee's body out of the house and placing it in the trunk of his Toyota Corolla before taking his credit cards and leaving.

Warrants allege that Tyson became uneasy about having the body in the trunk, and so the trio left it in a dumpster behind a church 80 miles away from his home.

Lee's remains were discovered there the following day, and the missing person investigation was upgraded to a murder.The Accused

The group then ditched the knife somewhere in Georgia, before May's cell phone was traced near to a truck stop on Topeka, Kansas.

Police were also able to trace Lee's credit cards which were used to purchase to cell phones en route, before officers caught up with them on July 18.

May is now facing a homicide charge, while Tyson and Ruffini are charged with homicide, vehicle theft, and credit card fraud.

Investigators say that May discussed the murder with her sister, Chelsea Babcock, telling her that Ruffini and Tyson 'did it for me' over Facebook Messenger.

Meanwhile police also interviewed May's biological mother, Denise Babcock, who does not have custody of the teen due to 'ongoing personal issues'.

Babcock said she is aware that May 'made allegations of sexual abuse on the part of Lee, however was unfamiliar with the outcome of the allegations.'

She gave investigators the phone number of her daughter's case manager and appointed guardian, who 'was not able to provide any additional details.'

Natalie Harrell, spokeswoman with Florida Department of Children and Families, said: 'We are reviewing any and all prior involvement with Lavaya May.'

Grant Davis, May's step-grandfather, said that Lee had been accused of sexually molesting the teenager in the past, according to the warrant.

May, Tyson and Ruffini have not yet entered pleas to the charges against them.
Source:Dailymail.co.uk