Jun. 18—One of two capital murder defendants accused of kidnapping a Hartselle woman in 2021 and pushing her off a cliff to her death has applied for youthful offender status, according to court filings.

Jessie Eden Kelly, 22, along with her mother, Loretta Kay Carr, 45, are both charged with killing Mary Elizabeth Isbell.

Isbell had been reported missing by her ex-husband almost two years before her body, with the help of information provided by one of the accused, was discovered in the Little River Canyon National Preserve in Dekalb County last summer.

A Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office investigator, who called the crime one of the most “heinous” in his career, said the suspects and Isbell knew each other through “a boyfriend.”

Prosecutors notified Carr in May that they will seek the death penalty against her. Carr’s trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 18.

On June 12, Kelly agreed to waive her right to a trial by jury and instead be tried by the court, should the court grant her youthful offender status. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 17.

In the meantime, authorities are keeping Kelly and her mother in separate jails. Both are being held without bond.

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.