14-year-old kills brother, makes ‘hit list’ for other family members, Alabama cops say
After a 14-year-old boy confessed to killing his older brother, Alabama deputies say they found a “hit list” for other family members in his backpack, according to local news outlets.
The boy’s 17-year-old brother went missing on Monday, Oct. 2, AL.com reports, but his father did not report his absence to the police. The next day, Pike County High School staff called the father to pick up his 14-year-old who was reportedly distraught over where his brother was, according to AL.com.
While searching outside of the family’s house, the father found the 17-year-old dead in the back of the property, AL.com reports, which prompted him to call law enforcement.
Pike County authorities arrived to the Monticello community home around 2 p.m. Oct. 4 and began their investigation, according to AL.com.
Several people were interviewed by sheriff’s office investigators, WSFA 12 reports, but Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas said the younger boy said that he shot his brother on their porch. After taking a few staggering steps, the older brother fell down the stairs and the 14-year-old dragged his body “about 60 yards to the back of the property,” the sheriff told WSFA.
Not only did the 14-year-old confess his role in the killing to Pike County authorities, but deputies say he had also confided in one of his friends from school. After he was said to have killed his brother, the boy asked his friend to help him kill the rest of his family members and bury them, WSFA reported.
“This student was taking a test and he was so bothered by what this 14-year-old friend had told him that he reported it to the teacher, who then relayed the information on to the administration,” Thomas told WSFA.
The friend also informed law enforcement that the 14-year-old had a detailed “hit list” naming other targets, according to WSFA.
“We always talk about ‘see something, say something.’ That is what that friend did in this moment,” Pike County district attorney James Tarbox told WSFA.
The hit list, which investigators found in the 14-year-old’s backpack, included details of “who, where, how [and] whether they would be easy or difficult” to kill, Thomas told WAKA 8. A plan of how to escape once he went through with the killings was described as well, the sheriff said.
The boy also had made threats to shoot up his high school, according to the sheriff’s office.
“It was written all out on the paper,” Thomas told WAKA.
If the boy hadn’t confessed to killing his brother and his friend hadn’t have come forward, it “could have been a very, very tragic situation,” Thomas told WAKA.
“The threat to the public, whether it be the family or it be the people at Pike County High School, the threat has been eliminated,” Thomas told WAKA.
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Pike County Schools released a statement about the 14-year-old’s arrest and his alleged “hit list.” The school system was made aware of the student’s “disturbing and threatening statements” Tuesday morning, superintendent Mark Bazzell said in the statement.
The student was “immediately removed from the school” after discovering the information, Bazzell said, and there is no evidence that there is an ongoing threat to the school.
“However, out of an abundance of caution, the Pike County School System has requested an increased law enforcement presence on the Brundidge campuses,” Bazzell said in the statement. “Additionally, mental health wellness support for students and staff has been made available.”
The 14-year-old is being held in a juvenile correctional facility, WAKA reports.
Pike County is about 50 miles southeast of Montgomery.
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 5:03 PM with the headline "14-year-old kills brother, makes ‘hit list’ for other family members, Alabama cops say."
