A California man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a little girl found dead last Tuesday on a Hacienda Heights hiking trail, stuffed inside a duffel bag.
ABC 7 reports that 38-year-old Emiel Hunt, the boyfriend of the 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones’ mother, was charged with one count of murder on Tuesday. According to the arrest affidavit, Hunt was also convicted of child abuse in 2005, in San Diego County. Court records indicate he was sentenced 12 years in prison for the conviction.
Hunt is accused of killing Trinity around March 1. Authorities found Trinity on the hiking trail on March 5. She was deceased with her body partially protruding from a black duffel bag, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said last week.
On March 9, authorities found Hunt sleeping in his car and detained him. Trinity’s mother, Taquesta Graham, a convicted sex offender, has also been detained, but has not yet been charged in connection with the girl’s death.
Hunt appeared in a Pomona court on Thursday morning, but did not enter a plea, according to the Los Angeles Times. The girl’s father, Antonio Jones, was in attendance at court.
“You killed my daughter,” Jones yelled out in court on Tuesday.
The manner in which Trinity died is still unclear. If convicted, Hunt faces life in prison.
The story continues to develop. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Emiel Hunt and Trinity Love Jones/Police Handout]
