Man Arrested For Murdering 12-year-old Girl

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The Nashville, Tennessee metropolitan police announced Monday the arrest of a man accused of having "violently murdered" his 12-year-old neighbor who was at home recovering from a skating injury.

At a press conference, Roy D. Coons, 45, was named as the alleged perpetrator of the heinous crime that shook the town of Goodlettsville. On August 10, the girl Yhoana Arteaga was found dead inside her home and with signs of violence.

The girl's mother and two brothers reportedly discovered her lifeless body around 6:45 p.m. that day. About an hour earlier, Arteaga had sent a text message warning that someone was knocking on the door.

According to police, Coons lived two houses from his victim and had more than 30 criminal records, the oldest of which was from 1992.

"The grand jury delivered a multiple-count indictment against Coons for premeditated murder, two counts of first-degree murder, attempted rape of a minor, and particularly aggravated robbery," it was said in a statement.

The autopsy concluded that the girl had been beaten, strangled, and partially undressed before she died, the Nashville metropolitan police investigative bureau revealed.

"The murder of Yhoana Arteaga was shocking for this community, even for elements of the police," Chief of Police Steve Anderson said during the announcement. "This afternoon we were able to bring relief to the Old Dickerson Pike community and all of Nashville."

"Our hearts are torn apart every time we lose a young man and the horrible murder of this beautiful girl, Yhoana Arteaga, really shook the Madison community," said the mayor of the city, Megan Barry, about the minor who According to the Daily News, he was a student at Liberty College Academy.

According to People, Coons remains under arrest and without bail; It is unknown if he has applied for legal help.