Teen accused of first-degree murder in aunt’s death takes stand in own trial

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It was a bomb moment during a first-degree murder trial on Monday. In an unusual move, the defendant, Ares Adle, took the stand himself and explained what happened when his aunt was murdered in 2019.

He was only 14 years old at the time.

The jury will have to decide whether first-degree murder is the appropriate punishment for the crime he committed in his Sun Lakes home.

‘I don’t remember exactly where I got the knife. I remember having it in my hand,” Ares Adle said on the stand on Monday.

The then-teenager was charged as an adult with murder after his aunt. Tonya Harper was stabbed to death at a Sun Lakes home where many relatives were staying during a family reunion.

The controversy began on the evening of January 31, 2019.

“What is your first memory of your interaction with Tonya that evening?” the state asked.

“Um, it was when we were playing Connect 4, and she said, ‘You’re not going to live much longer,’” Ares recalls. “It didn’t look like Aunt Tonya. It looked like a robot, and her eyes were just blank.

Ares told the court he went to his room, where he claimed his aunt called the landline in his bedroom and repeated those words.

He told the jury he got scared and started cutting the phone lines in the house with a knife, although he said he couldn’t remember how many he cut.

The prosecutor told the court that there was planning and intent to show premeditation.

Ares then told the court he heard Tonya downstairs calling his name. He said he was still holding the knife when he heard her calling for him.

“Did you want to hurt her when you went downstairs?” the prosecutor asked.

“No. I love Aunt Tonya. I didn’t want to hurt her. I just didn’t want to get hurt myself,” Ares replied.

The state alleged that Tonya Harper was asleep and defenseless at the time.

Ares then described what happened next from his perspective.

‘She comes towards me, I close my eyes and push the knife forward. I don’t necessarily know where I got hit. I just push it forward because I don’t really know what to do at that point,” Ares said, before getting emotional on the stand. “I don’t know how to explain it, and then I run away.”

According to police reports, Ares took a nap after the murder. His parents told the Arizona family that Ares suffers from a form of schizophrenia, but the judge ruled that mental health and illness are not admissible in the trial.

The state hammered home their main point: Ares admits he killed his aunt that night.

“As you sit here today, are you disputing that you did it?” the prosecutor asked.

“No,” Ares said.

Because mental health or illness are not admissible in this trial, the defense points to no real motive in the case and fights for a lesser conviction than first-degree murder.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Ares faces life in prison.

We expect closing arguments from both sides in court on Tuesday morning.

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