Attorney: Girl Didn't Know Fort Meade Soldier Planned to Kill Her Mother

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A 14-year-old girl charged with helping to bury her mother’s body after a Fort Meade soldier allegedly stabbed the eighth-grader’s mother to death had no idea the attack was planned and didn’t participate, says her attorney.

Caleb G. Barnes, 20, was charged Monday with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and statutory sexual assault in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. He is originally from El Paso, TX.

Spc. Barnes is a member of the 741st Military Intelligence Battalion based at Fort Meade, according to the Army Times.

Authorities say Barnes admitted he stabbed Cheryl Silvonek, the girl’s mother, in the neck several times, reports the Morning Call newspaper. The attack happened in the driveway of the family home, while Silvonek’s husband slept.

After Silvonek’s death, Barnes and the girl reportedly drove to a Walmart store where they purchased alcohol, bleach and other items to clean up the crime scene. The victim was buried near a creek, prosecutors say, then Barnes tried to push the car into a pond.

A nearby resident and his dogs found blood on the ground and called police.

The couple met in October 2014 and attended an Eric Church concert in Wilkes Barre, PA, last weekend with Cheryl Silvonek, authorities said. While she had concerns about her underage daughter’s sexual relationship with Barnes, she had not told her husband, David, the newspaper reports.

The victim’s daughter is charged as a juvenile with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension.

John Waldron, the girl’s attorney, told the Morning Call newspaper the attack on Cheryl Silvonek was completely unexpected by her daughter.

“[The attack] was totally out of the blue that this occurred in my client’s perspective. She was totally shocked, totally devastated,” Waldron said.

But prosecutors disagree saying that if they thought Barnes had forced the girl to help bury her mother’s body she would not have been charged.

Authorities later found David Silvonek, his daughter and Barnes all at the Silvonek house, according to WFMZ TV.

The teenager reportedly told police she and Barnes had sex twice in the previous 24 hours. Her father told investigators he did not know Barnes was at the home, prosecutors said. He requested a rape examination of his daughter.

Barnes reportedly met the girl at a concert in October and they stayed in touch through email, text messages and Twitter, authorities said. The pair met in person three or four times over the months when Barnes had leave from Fort Meade.

»Screenshot of accused Army soldier Caleb Barnes of Fort Meade, courtesy of WFMZ TV