A teenager from Mississippi is set to face adult legal proceedings following his alleged admission to the fatal beating of his grandmother in their place of worship.

Seventeen-year-old Jadynn Hamilton has been accused of first-degree murder in relation to the death of his 73-year-old grandmother, Ollie Hamilton. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley confirmed that paramedics pronounced Ollie Hamilton dead following a 911 call from Smith Chapel Holiness Church on Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. According to Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook, Jadynn Hamilton eventually admitted to the crime, as reported by local affiliates of both ABC and NBC, WTVA.

Sheriff Crook shared with the media that deputies gathered evidence at the Athens church, which lies roughly 175 miles northeast of Jackson, near Alabama’s border. These findings directed attention towards Jadynn Hamilton. Ollie Hamilton’s body was discovered near the church kitchen, and subsequent interviews with witnesses revealed that a “young man” had sought assistance for her.

This “young man” turned out to be Jadynn Hamilton. Crook informed the Monroe Journal, “As the investigation progressed, the evidence increasingly pointed in a specific direction. Initially, a young man appeared to be seeking help following the attack. We brought him in last night, and he confessed to the crime.”

Reflecting on the incident, Crook remarked, “This is a tragedy of the most devastating kind. A cherished church member, family member, and community figure was killed, only for it to be revealed within 24 hours that the perpetrator was another cherished family member.”

Crook did not release any information about a possible motive in the alleged attack, but stated that the teenager had no criminal history. He said, “If somebody is not able to control their impulses and they reach that point, I don’t think it really matters who the victim is at the time. If it got them to that level of anger, they’re going to lash out at whoever. It just happened to be his grandmother.”

Jadynn Hamilton was arrested and charged as an adult with first-degree murder. He is being held on $500,000 bond.