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(WJBK) - Jessica White was strangled and her body hidden in an attic in Hazel Park and now her childhood friend is on trial for her murder.
On Thursday for the first time we are hearing what happened from accused murder Jordan McClanahan in his own words. In the taped confession he reveals he didn't want it to happen and regrets it.
"I feel terrible about all of this," he said. "I have known her since I was 8 years old."
In a taped confession with police, which is almost jovial at times, Jordan McClanahan walks us through what happened the night of April 23rd, ultimately leading to the murder of his childhood friend, 21-year-old Jessica White.
Police: "Do you regret it?"
McClanahan: "Oh my God yeah."
McClanahan described their relationship as "friends with benefits" and says he brought Jessica back to his house, where the pair drank, did drugs and had sex. Then he claims he was overcome by unexplainable rage. He grabbed his belt and strangled Jessica as she laid on the bed.
"I had my belt I had wrapped it like people do that, like a bad dream and I strangled her to death," he said. "When it happeend it didn't feel real at all."
Jordan blamed his violent actions on a combination of medications he took earlier that evening. He says after he realized what he did - he panicked, grabbed a blue tarp out of the garage, wrapped her up and then tucked her in an upstairs crawl space.
During the intial days Jessica was presumed missing, family and friends and even McClanahan searched for her. He says he decided to remove her finger tips.
"I remember going upstairs," he said. "I was thinking I cut her fingers off with bolt cutters."
Police: "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know,"
Police searched McClanahan's house, but didn't find anything at first. He intially lied to investigators telling them he dropped her off in Detroit that night.
He says it wasn't until his father searched the attic crawl space and discovered the body, did McClanahan finally tell detectives the truth.
"He opened the door and looked," McClanahan said.
Police: "What did he say?"
"He came back out and said 'Jordan there is a body, a (expletive) dead body in there wrapped up,'" McClanahan said. "And Immediately after that, I got dressed and I came here."
Jordan McClanahan is on trial for first degree premeditated murder and desecration of a body. The trial resumes tomorrow.