A Tennessee judge has ruled that a 17-year-old boy, Fernando Perales Mejia, will be tried as an adult for the alleged murder of Trinity Lei Bostic, also 17, in late June. Mejia’s identity was initially withheld following his arrest, but was later revealed in a police affidavit in mid-July. Prosecutors had indicated their intention to try Mejia as an adult, a decision that was confirmed by Sumner County District Attorney General Ray Whitley this week.
Bostic was reported missing on July 29, with her cell phone number being used to trace her location to areas outside of Macon County. Despite efforts by law enforcement, attempts to locate her were unsuccessful. Her body was discovered on July 3 by a state Department of Transportation worker picking up trash along the wood line of State Route 386, near Hendersonville, a city located approximately 50 miles southeast of Lafayette, the Macon County seat.
Evidence found at the scene included a spent 9 mm shell casing and a live round. Bostic had been shot in the face. Her remains were identified on July 5, and the investigation into her death was treated as a homicide. Mejia was arrested and charged on July 6, based on cellphone records and location data.
Records showed that the last number to contact Bostic’s phone on June 29 was associated with Mejia. A search warrant for Mejia’s records revealed that the two cellphones were in the same location at around 2:30 p.m. on the day Bostic went missing, and then followed the same path until around 10:39 p.m. License plate readers registered Mejia’s vehicle driving throughout Hendersonville during those hours.
A search of Mejia’s home in Westmoreland, some 30 miles northeast of Hendersonville, yielded a loaded 9 mm magazine and a bag containing some of Bostic’s belongings. A 9 mm handgun loaded with ammunition matching the bullet and casing found at the crime scene was found in Mejia’s vehicle. During an interview, Mejia initially denied seeing Bostic for over two years, but later admitted to meeting her on June 29 after being confronted with the cellphone records.
Following the judge’s ruling, Mejia will be transferred to the custody of the sheriff’s office. Some of Bostic’s friends suggested to local media that she and Mejia had previously been in a romantic relationship. Mejia is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 27, with his bond set at $2 million.
Bostic, who was remembered as kind, caring, and energetic, worked at Walmart and had a passion for music and fashion. She often helped her father at his auto garage, where they worked on cars together. Bostic would have been a senior at Macon County High School this year. The school’s graduating class raised over $15,000 for her family through a GoFundMe campaign.