Alabama woman, armed with mop, fights off teen murder suspect

(NewsNation) — It may be a good thing Cheryl Edwards had just finished mopping floors at her home in Irvington, Alabama, moments before an accused murderer stormed her residence.

The cleaning utensil was handy when 18-year-old neighbor Jailen Lupton invaded her property July 26 and said, “I killed my grandma.”

“Her eyes were big as saucers. They were blood-red, and she had blood on her,” Edwards told “Banfield” on Friday, after doorbell video of her fighting off the teen with the mop went viral.

Authorities say Lupton fatally beat her grandmother, 70-year-old Diane Marrow Trest, who was found dead in her front yard with head trauma. There was a mallet nearby.

Camera detected intruder

Edwards said she had completed her housework and was getting ready to hit the shower when her back door camera alerted her that someone was there. She said she observed Lupton trying to break into her sister’s RV.

A violent encounter ensued on the front porch, Edwards said, with both women shoving each other before Edwards grabbed the mop and pressed Lupton back. The older woman can be heard screaming, "Get out!" several times on the viral video.

“I do have a gun, but it was locked up in my safe because my granddaughter was here,” Edwards told "Banfield."

Lupton soon returned and kicked in Edwards' door in an apparent attempt to get car keys for an escape.

“She did get inside my house, but she did not get anything,” Edwards said. “She run down the driveway and she almost got hit by a vehicle.”

'It had to be drugs'

Edwards flagged down the driver of the vehicle to ask for help. They went to check on Trest, next door, and found the woman’s body.

For her part, Edwards is baffled about what caused Lupton, a recent high school graduate, to allegedly kill the grandmother who had taken her in.

“She was a beautiful young lady, and then in a matter of two months  … it had to be drugs, that’s the only thing I can say, explain how she changed from one decent person to the type of person she was Saturday. It was horrible.”

Lupton pleaded not guilty to murder and second-degree burglary charges this week and is being held on $380,000 bond.

Edwards said she’s doing all right, physically and emotionally, and has a new lock on her door.