Amber LeAnn Hess died from a stab to her heart, authorities said Thursday.
An autopsy revealed the 17-year-old Queen Creek girl was stabbed at least eight times in the chest, neck and back, Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez said. The fatal stab severed her aorta.
Hess was killed Friday and her body dumped in the desert northwest of Florence. Police arrested Todd Hoke and Nicolas Castillo, both 16, who live near Queen Creek, on Wednesday. Each faces a charge of first-degree murder and has a $1 million bond.
Vasquez said he will ask that they spend the rest of their lives in prison if they are convicted.
Their attorneys did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.
The Hess family has started a Web site — http://www.n3tec.com/ — where people can follow the case and leave condolences. Dozens of comments had been posted on the site by Thursday afternoon.
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Hoke and Castillo killed Hess because they didn't like her, Vasquez said.
The boys are accused of strangling, beating and stabbing her in her home as she fought for her life, Vasquez said. At one point she pulled down the kitchen curtains as she struggled to stay alive.
They then dumped her body in the desert and burned it, he said.
Because of the extensive damage the burning caused, authorities weren't able to identify blunt-force trauma, Vasquez said. Authorities are having more tests done to determine how many times she was stabbed.
More charges could be filed, Vasquez said.
The three teens attended Coolidge High School, and Hess was close friends with Hoke, whom she once dated, Vasquez said.
The teens were linked to the crime through anonymous tips, statements the suspects made to detectives, and fingerprints and weapons.
