A 29-year-old man arrested Tuesday is accused of killing a teenager who was found dismembered near a Pennsylvania lake last week.
DaShawn Watkins, 29, was taken into custody and charged with fatally stabbing 14-year-old Pauly Likens Jr., who was last seen by a friend the night of June 22, according to reports from NBC affiliate WFMJ. Her remains were discovered by police three days later near the Shenango River Lake.
Watkins is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. court records reviewed by JS.
Likens left a friend’s house around 9:30 p.m. on June 22, her friend told police. She posted a photo on Snapchat around 2:30 a.m. the next day, according to a criminal complaint cited by WFMJ and Nextstar branch WKBN. Immediately afterwards, the friend messaged Likens, who initially responded but then stopped replying.
Likens’ phone last pinged about an hour later, and surveillance footage from her last known location, in a park, showed her walking slowly and pausing, as if waiting for someone, the media said.
Surveillance footage also showed a vehicle driving to the Likens area and returning to an apartment complex, the complaint said. The driver was later identified as Watkins, and video reportedly showed him struggling to carry a large duffel bag.
According to police, Watkins made several trips from his apartment the next day, June 24, carrying several bags and trash bags. Likens was reported missing to Sharon police on June 25, the same day police discovered her remains.
According to the newspaper, Likens’ cause of death was severe trauma.
Police said they found blood everywhere in Watkins’ apartment and that there was a receipt showing the purchase of a saw with interchangeable blades, according to WFMJ.
During an interview with detectives, Watkins allegedly said he met someone on Grindr but could not remember if he went to Likens‘ last known location because his “memory was poor,” according to WKBN.
Watkins is scheduled to appear in court on July 17 for his preliminary hearing. A lawyer was not listed in his records.
Pamela Ladner, president of the LGBTQIA+ Alliance Shenango Valley, told JS in an email that she had received permission from the victim’s mother to share that Likens was transgender, and that she believes her daughter’s murder was a hate crime.
Ladner said authorities are still recovering body parts.