JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 14-year-old accused of murder in the stabbing death of his mother and fleeing to Miami in his mom's SUV pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning.
Mitchell Daughtry will be tried as an adult on charges of second-degree murder and car theft in the stabbing death of his mother, 52-year-old Pamela Daughtry, in their East Arlington home on Aug. 18.
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Mitchell has been ordered held without bond and his next court date will be Oct. 20. He is facing life in prison.
After being located in Miami, Mitchell was hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation before being returned to Jacksonville to face charges.
According to police, homicide detectives were called to a home on Monument Ridge Drive and found Mitchell's mother dead on the kitchen floor, covered in a blanket. They said she had multiple stab wounds.
Police said that Pamela Daughtry (pictured) had sent her adult daughter a text message at 1:29 p.m. that day, asking her to come to the house because Mitchell was angry. She did not say why he was angry.
The daughter did not have her phone with her, so she did not see the message until later. When she got to the home, she found her mother dead.
Police said it appeared Mitchell broke into the family safe, where they had been hiding the kitchen knives from him.
Investigators said that shortly after Pamela Daughtry was found dead, her son was reported missing with the family's Volvo SUV and was believed to be in danger of hurting himself.
Mitchell was tracked to Miami at about 7 p.m. that night, when he began contacting friends and family by text and phone calls, and, in those messages, admitted to killing his mother, police said.
Mitchell was found by South Florida police about 10 p.m. and was taken into custody.
This isn't the first time police have been involved with the family. Barry Daughtry, Mitchell's father, was jailed in February on two counts of lewd molestation. Barry Daughtry was released from jail after posting bond the day after his wife was killed.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family pay for funeral costs and move forward.