Florida Teen Pleads Guilty of Murdering, Burying Mother Under Church's Fire Pit

A Florida teen has pleaded guilty to murdering his mother and admitted that he buried her body under a church's fire pit.

Gregory Ramos pleaded guilty on Wednesday to first-degree murder, including tampering with evidence.

Ramos was 15 years old when the crime happened in 2018. He is now 17 years old, People reported.

The crime stemmed from a fight he got into with his mother about his grades.Ramos admitted to strangling his 46-year-old mother, Gail Cleavenger.

He said he called his two friends to help him bury his mother's body and staged a robbery at their house.

During the court proceedings, Ramos' lawyer told the judge that the teen regrets his actions and tries to better himself behind bars.

Matthew Phillips, Ramos' public defender, said the teenager is extremely remorseful and regrets his actions every day. Philips said that Ramos has also been trying to be productive.

"While he's been in custody, he has been obtaining a high school diploma," Philips said in a report. Ramos was charged as an adult.

The Incident

The Florida teen initially called 911 after arriving home from school on Nov. 2, 2018.

He told detectives when they arrived that he came home to discover that the house had been robbed and claimed that his mother was missing.

However, her mother's van was still running in the driveway. Ramos then changed his story upon further investigation.

He then said that they fought over a D grade that he had received in school.

During the fight, Ramos said he had strangled his mother, adding that it took him around 30 minutes to kill her. After the fight, he then called his two friends to cover up the killing.

Ramos' two friends, namely Dylan Ceglarek and Brian Porras, have also been charged as adults with being accessories after a capital felony charge.

The two came to stage a robbery by taking some electronics and helping Ramos bury his mother's body under a fire pit near a church, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

However, the two friends of Ramos who helped him with the crime had both pleaded not guilty.

Investigators said the Florida teen made a detailed confession that officials described as cold and calculated, as well as lacking emotions.

Volusia County deputies reported that they had found his mother's body buried under a fire pit at a church a few days after her death. This was just also after Ramos admitted to strangling his mother to death.

Charges Against Ramos

Ramos now faces 45 years in prison on the grounds of a first-degree murder charge. But the case can be reviewed after 25 years as he was a minor when he killed his mother.

Ramos' plea asks that he serve sentences for the two lesser charges on top of the murder charge. He will spend the rest of his life on probation upon his release. Ramos will be sentenced next month.