Prosecutors cite a patrol-car conversation as the girls seek pretrial release.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Prosecutors are pointing to a secretly recorded conversation between two Lake Brantley High School students as they ask a judge to keep the teens in jail while they face charges that police say involved a planned killing of a classmate.
The recording came from a decision by officers to place the two girls in the back of the same patrol car after their January arrests, according to court filings and investigators’ accounts. The teens have asked to be released while their cases move forward. Prosecutors argue they remain a danger to the community and should stay behind bars until trial, with a hearing set for next week.
According to investigators, the girls did not know they were being recorded as they talked in the patrol car after being taken into custody. The conversation included jokes about mug shots, talk about how much prison time they could face, and anger that a friend had “snitched,” police said. A written summary of the exchange said one teen talked about using makeup for a mug shot and then said, “It’s over,” with the other replying that it did not matter if she looked good. Prosecutors are using those lines, and other comments described in the readout, to challenge the girls’ request for release.
Investigators also said the conversation included jokes about a “blood ritual” tied to the alleged plan and talk about how the teens might spread their story in the true-crime community. In filings, prosecutors described the tone as flippant and argued it undercut claims that the girls would follow court rules or avoid further harm if released. Authorities have not publicly identified the intended victim, who was a fellow student, and details about what the student experienced after the tip came in have not been released in full.
The arrests followed a late-night tip that set off a rapid response by school officials and police. Investigators said a tip arrived around 11:30 p.m. on Thu., Jan. 22, warning that a student planned to kill another student at the school the next day. Officers and school staff moved quickly the next morning. Police accounts say the teens were pulled from class soon after they arrived at school on Fri., Jan. 23, as administrators and law enforcement worked to sort out what had been reported.
Police reports describe items recovered from a backpack, including a knife, along with other materials that investigators said matched parts of the alleged plan. Some portions of early reports were redacted, including parts of the questioning by school staff and sections that described motivation. Later reporting based on unredacted case records described an alleged fixation on the Sandy Hook school shooting and the shooter, Adam Lanza. Investigators said the older teen chose a target she believed resembled Lanza and described the planned killing in graphic terms. Prosecutors have said the allegations and the planning described in records were factors in decisions about charges and detention.
Attorneys and family members for the teens have declined to discuss the case publicly, according to outreach described by local media. A psychotherapist, Dr. Cherlette McCullough, said after hearing excerpts of the post-arrest conversation that it reflected a larger mental health crisis among teens. She said that when young people post dark thoughts or say they need help, it can be a real warning sign rather than attention-seeking. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have framed the recorded conversation as evidence the girls understood the situation and were focused on notoriety and consequences.
In court, the key question next week will be whether either teen can be released under strict conditions, such as electronic monitoring or a third-party custodian, or whether the judge agrees with prosecutors that detention is necessary. Both teens face serious felony charges, including attempted premeditated murder, according to police and court records described by local outlets. In a separate earlier hearing, a judge ordered the case moved into adult court, a step that can change potential penalties and how the case proceeds. Court schedules and filings are expected to shape the next timeline, including deadlines for evidence and future hearings.
Outside the courtroom, the case has rattled families across Seminole County and revived questions about how schools handle threats and tips. Officials have credited the tip system and quick coordination for stopping the plan before anyone was physically harmed. The school community has received limited public details, in part because the defendants are teenagers and because portions of records remain sealed or redacted. Still, the recording has become a focal point, with prosecutors arguing it offers a rare window into what the teens said immediately after being arrested.
The girls remain jailed as the detention fight heads to a court date next week, when prosecutors and defense lawyers are expected to argue over release conditions and public safety. More hearings are likely to follow as the case moves through adult court.
Author note: Last updated March 5, 2026.