A Michigan mother and her son are set to face escalated charges related to the murder of the son’s teenage girlfriend, a crime allegedly followed by a concerted effort to conceal the act. The pair will soon stand trial for these grave accusations.

Charla Pendergrass, 49, and her 24-year-old son, Jalen Pendergrass, have had their charges upgraded to first-degree murder in connection with the death of 17-year-old London Thomas. Initially, the two were facing charges of second-degree murder and evidence tampering. The decision was made by Inkster District Judge Sabrina Johnson last week, as reported by Detroit’s ABC affiliate WXYZ.

In addition to murder, both defendants are now also charged with unlawful imprisonment, further complicating their legal battle.

This development follows testimony from one of Jalen Pendergrass’ former girlfriends, who revealed that after Thomas disappeared, Jalen sent her a message quoting lyrics from an NBA Youngboy song, ominously stating, “Put the b— up in the trunk, her family will never see her again.”

The tragic discovery of London Thomas’ body, found enclosed in a plastic container within the trunk of an SUV, grimly corroborates the charges against them.

The former girlfriend also told the court that Jalen Pendergrass confessed to the murder, saying that after Thomas got into a physical confrontation with his mother, he beat her and then tied her up.

According to the former girlfriend, Charla Pendergrass then told her son to “get angry” and to “kill her.”

“He told me that he pulled her out the bed, he stood her up, grabbed a belt and choked her until she fell,” the former girlfriend reportedly testified.

As Law&Crime previously reported, Thomas was last seen alive around 4 a.m. on April 5, 2025, as she was being dropped off at Jalen Pendergrass’ residence in the 27000 block of Carlysle Street in Inkster, Michigan, about 15 miles west of Detroit.

Members of Thomas’ family reported her missing several times over the following days as authorities began searching for her.

Nearly a month later, authorities received a call from an individual claiming to be Charla Pendergrass’ friend, who claimed Charla Pendergrass contacted him on April 6, 2025, asking if he could help her move a plastic bin that was “sealed” with “unknown contents” inside, Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK reported.

The friend reportedly agreed, and on April 11, assisted Charla Pendergrass in moving the container to a home on Millard Street in Southfield, Michigan. The friend testified that Charla Pendergrass told him “to get rid of it — to burn it.” However, suspicious about the contents of the bin, the friend left it in the trunk of his SUV. He later contacted police through an attorney and notified them about the bin and the vehicle’s location.

Authorities on April 26, 2025, recovered the bin from an SUV parked outside of the Millard Street home. They found Thomas’ remains inside. A medical examiner later determined that Thomas’ manner of death was a homicide and the cause of death was asphyxiation.

The mother and son remain in custody at the Wayne County Jail and are scheduled to make their next court appearance on Jan. 30.