ST. PETERSBURG - A 17-year-old high school senior was arrested Wednesday on charges that he killed his neighbor by stabbing her 50 times, police said.
Jennie Dianne Hartley, 47, was slain early Saturday in her home, police said.
Blake Carter Stryker, a student at Boca Ciega High School, confessed during police questioning Wednesday, said Detective Rick Shaw.
Stryker knew Hartley for more than a decade, police said. Investigators declined to discuss possible motives, citing an ongoing investigation.
Stryker, who turns 18 in July, was on probation for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He faces a first-degree murder charge.
"It's unusual to see a kid this young commit such a murder," said Shaw, an arresting officer. "It was particularly brutal."
Stryker, his eyes and face red, cried as he sat inside a police car before he was transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
"I don't want to answer any questions at this time," he told reporters at St. Petersburg police headquarters. He wore long basketball shorts, sneakers and a white T-shirt.
The hunt for Hartley's killer began Monday evening after her mother discovered her body around 6 p.m. inside the doorway of her home at 1226 74th St. N.
Anonymous tips led police to Stryker's home at 1218 74th St. N Wednesday morning.
At first, Stryker denied involvement in the murder. Then his father, Bruce Stryker, told him to confess, saying the situation was "tearing apart their family," Shaw said.
After a half-hour of questioning, Stryker admitted killing Hartley, police said.
Stryker told Shaw and Detective Karl Sauer that he spotted his neighbor outside her home in their quiet Azalea neighborhood around 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
Stryker said he asked Hartley for a glass of water, drank it, then asked for another, police said. He drank that and asked to use her bathroom, police said.
He then stabbed her 50 times with a knife, police said.
Shaw said he "didn't want to go into" whether Hartley was sexually assaulted. He said robbery had not been completely ruled out, "but is not likely."
Stryker later threw the knife into Boca Ciega Bay and his clothes into several trash bins in Gulfport, police said.
Ninety minutes before Hartley's mother found her body, police received their first anonymous call about the killing.
The caller said "someone was dead or was going to be dead" near 13th Avenue N and 74th Street, Shaw said.
Police later found that Stryker told several friends he had killed a woman.
"At his confession, he was remorseful," Shaw said. "I don't know if he was remorseful when he was telling his friends."
The second anonymous tip came in around 8:30 p.m. Monday, "and they started naming names," said Shaw, declining to elaborate further.
The detectives said they hope the tipsters call again.
Hartley, who had a daughter and four grandchildren, lived alone.
Her family said she suffered from back ailments and was unemployed.
Her brother, Roy Hartley, said he had no reaction to news of the arrest and that the family was still in mourning. Asked if the arrest brought any closure, he said, "No, not yet."
Times Staff Writer Abhi Raghunathan contributed to this report. Shadi Rahimi can be reached at srahimi@sptimes.com or 727 893-8846.
