Woman charged with killing her mother in Silver Spring remains in jail after bond hearing postponed

A Montgomery County judge declined to hear bond arguments after prosecutors requested a delay

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July 10, 2026 10:55 a.m.

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A Clarksburg woman charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of her mother will remain in police custody after prosecutors requested Thursday to delay a bond review hearing until a later date.

During a hearing in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville, the state told Judge John Moffett they were requesting to defer the bond review and would “file something at the appropriate time.”

The defense sought clarification on whether prosecutors were asking to continue the hearing or waive the bond review without prejudice so it could be requested later. After a brief discussion, Moffett announced, “I won’t hear arguments on the bond. It’ll be held without bond.”

Addressing defendant Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson, Moffett said she is charged with first-degree murder, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison. The judge scheduled Tjongarero-Henderson’s preliminary hearing for Aug. 7, noting the court could hear a bond review before then if either party files the appropriate motion.

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According to charging documents filed by Montgomery County police, Tjongarero-Henderson, 29, and her girlfriend, 36-year-old Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, are accused of killing Tjongarero-Henderson’s mother, Hilde Uapingena Henderson, 67, on May 22 inside an apartment at the Charter House senior housing community on Fenwick Lane in Silver Spring.

Raebel’s bond review hearing was held Wednesday. Like Tjongarero-Henderson, Raebel remains held without bond after an attorney with the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender told the court the defense did not yet have enough information about the case or the codefendant to argue for her release.

According to charging documents, county police said officers responding to a welfare check on May 26 found the victim dead in her bedroom with significant head trauma and blood throughout the apartment. The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.

Charging documents allege surveillance video showed Tjongarero-Henderson and a second woman entering the apartment with the victim on the evening of May 22. Investigators allege Tjongarero-Henderson was later seen on surveillance video leaving the apartment multiple times during the early morning hours carrying items — including what appeared to be a white bedsheet — to a trash room, some of which appeared to have blood on them. Police also allege clothing believed to have been worn by the suspects was recovered from the apartment with what appeared to be blood on it.

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The charging documents also state county police had previously responded to multiple domestic-related incidents involving Tjongarero-Henderson, the victim and a second suspect at the residence, including one incident in which the second suspect allegedly assaulted the victim and another in which Tjongarero-Henderson allegedly damaged property following an argument with the victim.

The discovery of Henderson’s body led to a weeklong search for the two women. According to a June statement from police, media outlets in Phoenix, Ohio and Nashville, Tennessee reported on the case. The media coverage yielded “multiple tips from several states,” according to Montgomery County police. 

Someone who recognized the pair from media coverage contacted the Genoa, Ohio, police department, according to a June 11 statement from police. The pair were held in the Ottawa County Detention Center in Ohio before they were extradited to Maryland.  

Bethesda Today reached out Thursday to the Office of the Public Defender, which is representing Tjongarero-Henderson, requesting comment on why the bond review was delayed. The office had not responded as of Thursday afternoon.

–Ashlyn Campbell contributed to this report

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine