BEDFORD, Texas — A man pleaded guilty to the murder of a 14-year-old Bedford girl Thursday, receiving 10 years in prison for first-degree murder, officials announced.
The murderer, 21-year-old Jordin Roache, has been in jail since first being arrested in 2017, and reached the plea deal with the 372nd District Court.
Kaytlynn Cargill, the victim, was found dead in an Arlington landfill in June of 2017, two days after she was first reported missing.
“This day has been a long time coming and we’re grateful for the hard work and countless hours put in by Bedford Police officers, detectives, and forensic investigators along with the prosecutors from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office,” Bedford Police Chief Jeff Williams said in a news release. “The Cargill family remains in our thoughts as we reach the conclusion of this tragic case.”
Cargill's mother, Trisha West, testified during Roache's sentencing this week.
"She no doubt would be an asset to society," West said in court, according to a release from the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office. "You robbed me of seeing her bright future come to fruition."
Her father, Bo Cargill, also read a statement in court: "She was not yours for the taking, but you did it anyway. I am tormented every day about what she endured. It plays out in my mind."
Cargill was reported missing from her apartment complex off Forest Ridge Drive on June 19, 2017, police said. Roache, who was 16 at the time of his arrest, was first identified as a potential suspect after witnesses saw him with her the day of her disappearance.
Several pieces of evidence were found leading to Roache’s arrest, including Cargill’s blood and DNA in his girlfriend’s apartment, where he was staying at the time, the release added. Blood was found on several walls of the apartment, kitchen blinds, and the patio. Blood was also found on the head of a hammer, which DNA evidence later confirmed to be Cargill’s.
According to a witness cited in the arrest warrant, Cargill went to the dog park the day she disappeared to take part in an exchange of marijuana with a 16-year-old suspect and his brother.
The witness told police Cargill was asked to come to the Oak Creek Apartments alone, without the witness or her dog, the arrest warrant states. The witness said Cargill ran away from the dog park because the suspect saw him watching them.
Cargill and the witness returned to Cargill’s home, but she returned to the dog park roughly an hour later “to get the money,” according to witness cited in the warrant. The witness tied Cargill’s dog up and went to play basketball and never saw her again.
Police believe Cargill was murdered between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. that evening. Cargill’s parents reported her missing at 8:15 p.m.
The case was delayed several times over the years, the release detailed, due to factors including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roache was transferred to the Texas Department of Corrections following his sentencing.
Previous coverage of the case:
