15-Year-Old Charged As Adult In Man?s Slaying

A 15-year-old girl and her 22-year-old boyfriend were indicted on Thursday in the homicide death of a disabled Melrose man.

The 2008 Putnam County Spring Grand Jury indicted Morgan Amanda Leppert and Toby Lowry on charges of first-degree murder, burglary with an assault or battery and robbery with a deadly weapon.

The Palatka couple is accused of beating 66-year-old James Thomas Stewart with two metal rods, and stabbing the man several times before suffocating him with a plastic bag.

Putnam County deputies said Leppert and Lowry killed Stewart because they wanted to steal his truck.

"They were looking, basically, something to get into, for a way to get out of the country," said Putnam County Sheriff Dean Kelly. "They stayed in a wooded area behind the victim's home. They just cased the area looking for an easy mark."

An Amber Alert was issued for Leppert, and she and Lowry were found in El Paso after a motorist recognized the couple from seeing a national news report and called 911.

The stolen 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup the couple allegedly stole after killing Stewart was found nearby.

Despite her age, Leppert is charged as an adult in the slaying.