BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The case of four teenagers accused of capital murder and first-degree arson will go to the grand jury, Baldwin County Circuit Judge Jody Bishop said. The teens came before Bishop during a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Ian Aitcheson, 16, Danny "Chubs" Weaver, 19, Darlene Jerkins, 17, all of Robertsdale, and Keshjuan Betts, 18, of Foley, are charged in the death of Robert Aitcheson, Ian Aitcheson's father. A fifth teen, 17-year-old Amen Lee Robert Wellock, of Robertsdale, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

The elder Aitcheson was found dead in his burned Silverhill trailer Jan. 28. According to Susan Gross, an investigator with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, officers responded to a trailer fire call around 3 a.m. Jan. 28.

"The call was for a trailer fire and when fire officials arrive the trailer was fully engulfed," she said. "When I arrived at around 3:40 the fire had been extinguished.

She said Aitcheson's body was discovered in what appeared to be the living room of the trailer, laying on his back on a sofa bed. "His body was severely burned. The only recognizable area was what is typically identified as the torso," she said. "His legs below the knee where just about burned off and it was the same for his arms below the elbow, they were burned off."

She said in the torso area there was a "slight pink area" visible. "In the area of the right ribcage was a six- to eight-inch gash," she said.

She said Weaver, Darlene and Ian returned to the scene shortly after she did, around 4:30 a.m.

"Some of the family members were there and I spoke with them. They told me some of the defendants were on the scene. We asked (the teens) to stay so we could talk to them," Gross said.

She said all three gave the same story - that they had come to pick up some of Ian's things.

Weaver, who is Darlene's boyfriend, lived with Darlene and her mother, Amber Jerkins at their home on Flamingo Road in Robertsdale. "He and the others had been discussing robbing and killing Mr. Aitcheson," Gross said. She said the discussions, which were reportedly between Weaver, Ian and Amen Wellock, took place "primarily at the Flamingo Drive address."

She said conversations with Weaver revealed a strained relationship between Ian and his father. "He said Ian had disliked his father, and his father disliked his son. Ian had been in some trouble before, he had stolen money from his father," she said.

"Weaver said Aitcheson wanted to harm his father to keep from going to jail," Gross said. "His father said he would put him in jail if he didn't straighten up."

Additionally, she said Aitcheson was known to keep money at his home. "They referred to them as "stacks," she said. "He would keep stacks of cash, he owned his own business. The plan was to kill Mr. Aitcheson and take the stacks of cash."

She said Betts had been working late in Fairhope the night before the murder, but stopped by the Flamingo Drive trailer after work to see Weaver. He arrived as the "plan was being hatched," Gross said. "So he was brought into the plan."

Betts told investigators he had not wanted to get involved. "He said he tried to talk them out of it," Gross said. "He said he was not really part of the plan, they just asked him to ride along."

She said Darlene became involved because she had overheard the boys discussing the plan. "Jerkins overheard earlier in the day a conversation between the first three, then heard a discussion again later in the day," Gross said. "She was included because of what she heard."

At about 1 a.m. the five allegedly got into Amber Jerkins green Honda Accord and drove to the trailer in Silverhill. Gross said the teens carried with them gas in gasoline cans, plastic bags, duffle bags and backpacks.

"They parked a good piece down the road and walked through a treeline to the trailer," she said. She noted that they could have parked right in front of the trailer.

Weaver told investigators after arriving at the trailer, he and the other males entered the home, wearing black bandannas over their faces, and found Aitcheson in and out of sleep on the couch. "He said two got on top of (Aitcheson) and put a bag over his head. Ian got a knife from the kitchen, handed it to Weaver and said 'make sure my dad is dead,'" she said.

Weaver said he stabbed the man, then Ian removed the knife, wrapped it in paper towels and put it in one of the duffle bags. "He then removed the bag from his dad's head, wrapped a black bandanna around his hand and closed his dad's eyes," Gross said. "Then he reached in his father's pocket and took $36."

According to Weaver's statement, Betts was the one who put the bag over Aitcheson's head, but then left the trailer where he is said to have "shed tears and gotten sick."

Once the elder man was dead, the boys reportedly poured gasoline on and around the body. "Weaver then exits the home, the house catches fire and Ian exits through a rear window and everyone leaves," Gross said.

According to Weaver, Darlene stayed in the car during the entire incident, but others tell a different story, including Darlene.

"Verbally she said she stood outside and watched through a window," Gross said. "Later she said things such as 'we stepped outside,' which indicated she had been in the trailer."

She said Darlene is said to have poured gasoline on the outside of the trailer, taken a lighter from Ian and lit the trailer. "They left the way they came, down 55 to 104, disposing of gas cans, knives, everything," Gross said. "The gas can was dumped on 55, the knife was found on 104."

Weaver told investigators he looked in the boxes that reportedly held the cash, and said he found nothing.

Lt. Tony Nolte, another investigator with the Sheriff's Office, said after several talks, Ian finally admitted to his involvement.

"Initially he denied any participation or knowledge of his father's death," Nolte said. "Then he changed his story, incrementally, very slowly."

He said Ian first said that Weaver had entered the home alone. "He said he heard yelling and screaming so he went closer and then went in and saw his father dead," Nolte said. "He said Weaver poured gas on the body and he didn't know how the fire started."

Nolte said investigators put Ian and Weaver in "close proximity," to each other and said Weaver began "imploring Ian to tell the truth."

"He said 'we did something bad and now we've got to tell the truth,'" Nolte said.

He said Weaver got involved because he and Ian were such good friends. "Weaver would do anything to keep Mr. Aitcheson out of jail," Nolte said. "They had only known each other a couple of months."

After announcing the case would go to Grand Jury, Weaver's attorney requested the judge set bond on the capital murder case and reduce bond on the arson charge.

"On the first case, my client has been incarcerated since he was arrested. The bond was set at $1 million. One million dollars is excessive," she said.

She noted that his family was in the courtroom and they are rooted in Baldwin County. Bishop denied both requests. If indicted by the Grand Jury, all five will face charges as adults.