Teen to be charged as adult in slaying

Footprints in the snow led to the suspect.
BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio (AP) -- A 16-year-old will be tried as an adult in the beating death of an elderly woman whose body was found Christmas Eve, a judge ruled.
"There is probable cause to believe that a murder was committed and that this child probably committed it," visiting Judge Mark Spees said at a hearing Wednesday.
A grand jury is expected to consider the case of Christopher E. Tindall before the end of the month, prosecutor Gerald Heaton said.
"It's exactly what we wanted," said John Green, whose 72-year-old mother Joan Green was found dead in the bedroom of her home covered in bloody blankets.
Tindall was originally charged with juvenile delinquency counts of burglary, aggravated burglary, aggravated murder, rape and abuse of a corpse.
Pizza shop burglary
Detective Dwight Salyer testified Wednesday that police investigating the Dec. 24 break-in at a pizza shop found footprints in the snow leading to Green's house and then to a nearby group home where Tindall had been living since his release in August from a youth prison.
Salyer said Tindall had a bandaged hand and scrapes on his face.
When Tindall was taken to the police station for questioning, two roommates found a bloodstained towel under his bed and items including a window bolt, a clue that led Salyer back to Green's home. The detective said he discovered an unlocked kitchen window, then found the body inside.
Tindall later confessed breaking into the pizza place and admitted that he entered Green's home, Salyer testified.
Bellefontaine is about 50 miles northwest of Columbus.