Arizona offers plea deal to Glendale teen charged with sex-act murder

A Glendale teen charged with second-degree murder in the strangulation of a man during a sex act was offered a plea agreement by the state during a settlement conference Friday.

Jessica Burlew was 16 when she was accused of murdering Jason Ash, 43, in January 2014. Her mother found Ash on Burlew's bed with a cord wrapped around his neck and razor cuts on his face and arms.

Prosecutor Joshua Clark said during the conference that the state was willing to reduce Burlew's murder charge to manslaughter and offer a sentence of 10 to 12 years. A conviction for second-degree murder can result in a sentence of 10 to 25 years.

Burlew pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in February 2014.

Her once-blue hair grown out to a natural brown, Burlew did not speak during Friday's conference other than to confirm her name and date of birth. Her mother, Tracey Woodside, was in attendance and confirmed Burlew's mental-health diagnosis.

MORE: Activists back Glendale teen charged with murder in sex-act death

She said her daughter, now 18, has a form of autism and was born with a type of schizophrenia that causes "delusional thinking."

Burlew has admitted to the killing, though she said that it was an accident, that she and Ash were in a consensual, sexual relationship and that asphyxiation was common for them, according to police reports. She told police that Ash didn't use their "safety word" and the cuts were initially an attempt to revive him, though they evolved into a mechanism to relieve the stress of the situation.

She also told police she cut herself, and paperwork found in Burlew's bedroom documented a previous incident of self-mutilation.

Police said she fled the apartment, using a burka to disguise her identity, and then texted her mother to ask if police were still there.

Woodside said in an interview following the conference that her daughter was "dark" before she met Ash and used to make small cuts to her arms, but he gave her razors and videotaped her making deep gashes. She said the cuts on Ash's body were one of the prosecution's reasons for charging second-degree murder.

"He taught her all that stuff and gave her drugs," Woodside said. "For some reason they're making it less than it is because he's deceased."

She said Ash got Burlew hooked on heroin and "molded her into what he wanted." Ash would require Burlew to perform sexual asphyxiation to receive more heroin as a reward, she said.

Her case has stirred controversy, as advocates have said they believe the difference in age between Burlew and Ash shows she was a sexual victim. Her history of mental illness has also raised alarm, as she has reportedly been kept in 23-hour solitary confinement since her arrest.

An organization called Free Jessie B Support Group has led the efforts in advocating for a "humane" plea deal for Burlew.

At the conclusion of the settlement conference, the attorneys agreed to meet again Sept. 4 so Burlew could have a chance to review the offer from the state. Clark said there was no "expiration date" on the state's proposal.

Republic reporter Megan Cassidy contributed to this article.