Alleged "Dexter" Killer Andrew Conley Pleads Not Guilty to Strangling Younger Brother

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

(AP Photo/David Kohl)

(Family Photo)

(AP Photo/David Kohl)

Photo: Andrew Conley.

RISING SUN, Ind. (CBS/AP) Showing no emotion, Andrew Conley, the Indiana teen who, police say, idolized television serial killer "Dexter" pleaded not guilty to killing his 10-year-old brother.

At the same time, just a few blocks from the courthouse, his mother and father were greeting mourners who came to pay respects to their slain younger son.

The 17-year-old was charged as an adult in Ohio Circuit Court with murdering his brother, Conner Conley, a decision that the boys' parents supported, said Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor Aaron Negangard. In front of a few of his friends, the teen answered only basic questions during Friday's hearing. His attorney, Gary Sorge, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, and left the courthouse without talking to reporters.

Nearby, the boys' parents, Shawn and Bridget Conley, greeted a steady stream of friends and well-wishers who came to a viewing of Connor's body at the Markland Funeral Home. The fifth-grader was dressed in a dark suit and lay in an open casket.

The boy's killing has left residents of this small Ohio River town 90 miles southeast of Indianapolis shaken and confused.

According to prosecutors, Andrew Conley, told investigators he strangled Conner while they were wrestling at their home Sunday, then drove his body to a park and dumped it. They say he said he did it to satisfy his craving to kill.

Townspeople described Andrew on Friday as "nice," "normal," and "polite." A relative of the family, Debbie Snyder, said the Conleys were a "strong" and "balanced" family.

And school officials said the brothers were good students and had many friends. Andrew got As and Bs, was a member of the Spanish club and had no record of disciplinary problems.

Photo: Conner Conley.

The Conleys withdrew Andrew from school on Nov. 16, 12 days before Conner's body was found near a city park, Rising Sun-Ohio County Community Schools Superintendent Stephen Patz said Friday. He declined to say why, and the parents have not talked to the media.

Prosecutors, in an affidavit, said Andrew Conley showed no remorse when he entered the police station Sunday and announced that he had killed his brother.

They said he described how he choked his younger brother, saying he strangled the boy to satisfy a craving like a hungry person eating a hamburger.

They also said Conley told investigators that killing his brother made him feel like the fictional television serial killer "Dexter," and that he had cut himself in the past.

Dr. Lisa Boesky, a San Diego child psychologist and expert on teen and child behavior, said the boy's alleged self-mutilation indicated he may have been suffering from depression or anxiety, or experiencing overwhelming emotions such as rage.

Boesky said teens who kill nearly always have deep, underlying problems and that it was unlikely the television show influenced Conley's actions.

"It's rarely something that happens overnight," she said. "This is not caused by a television show or a fight with their parents. This is typically indicative of a serious disturbance. And clearly in cases like this, it indicates that something is seriously wrong."

A white cross stood Friday at the site in the park near where Connor's body was found with the messages "In loving memory of" and "classmates of Conner 2009."

Connor's great-uncle, Al Snyder, attended the visitation Friday and described the boy as outgoing, artistic and articulate.

"He could carry on a conversation better than most adults I know," Snyder, 48, of Camden, N.Y., told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Pastor Jim Jenkins of the First Baptist Church of Rising Sun is among the clergy helping counsel students and staff at the two schools. He said the case has been especially hard on Conner's fifth-grade classmates.

"You've got a class of 20 children and all of a sudden one of them is not there and they've been murdered and their face is all over TV and the story is all over the radio," he said.

Patz, the school superintendent, said it was impossible to make sense of the crime.

"Everyone is just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together and they aren't fitting," Patz said. "They may never fit."

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
December 4, 2009 - "Dexter" Killer: Andrew Conley Says TV Character Inspired Him to Strangle 10-Year-Old Brother

14 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment

See all 14 Comments


by Jseplin May 9, 2011 7:14 AM EDT: This is a horrible story. He killed that little boy when he probably thought they were just playing around. And to think it was his own brother. It always bothers me to hear of a child's death. Especially when its at the hands of another person, not a disease etc. Its just tragic. As for the dexter show and the influence he speaks about. Those feeling were already there. Dexter may have enticed him But the outcome would have been the same. People always blame tv instead of looking in at the real problem his mental state. I see a lot of things on tv and don't go killing people. Like I said he was already a killer and probably would have killed his brother anyway. So sad and tragic..; Reply to this comment


by msbelle September 16, 2010 9:47 AM EDT: I'd like to think we can all reserve judgement till we know ALL the facts in this case. This child didn't turn into a killer over night. Let's wait for the Psych report and then see what really caused this.; Reply to this comment


by Floweringsoul December 19, 2009 7:33 PM EST: Somebody needs to do a study of this town! I lived there for awhile and it is EVIL! There have been way too many suicides, OD's, and killings. The police and politicians there are all crooked. Everyone is related. I thank God I got out of there alive!; Reply to this comment


by barahbean December 12, 2009 7:30 PM EST: It's a sad & horrile loss forthe family & friends of these two boys. Only God, Conner, & Andrew will know what really happend. Only God knows why. God gives us opportunity to make the correct choices, even though he knows what fate we already have. The greater plan is in His hands.The times when we want to loose faith is when we need to hold on to it even stronger. I wish Conner's family the gift of faith and hope this Christmas. I pray for those who are lost, like Andrew. I hope God gives peace to Bridget & Shawn. Let them know there was nothing they could do& not to blame themselves. Let them know they are loved. Let them know they were good parents. Let them know they have so many memories that Conner can live through. Let anybody reading this know Bridget did what any mother would do. Put yourself in her shoes. She did her best. So did Shawn. They were great parents & until this tragic event, the boys were both wonderful kids that everybody loved. They had great grades, helped with charities, & were popular children. Talk about andrew how you want. He did a terrible deed & had been planning to for a long time. He wore gloves. He showed no remorse, until he knew he was going to be caught. Then he turned himself in- not out of remorse, but out of fear he was caught. Evil? Only God knows. Sick & mentally ill? You'd have to be in order to do something intentional like this. This whole family needs prayers. Just one more thing, I thought it was horrible to have the press & media trying to ask friends & family, while in mourning of Conner, at the visitation for statements & fishing for info. When people are crying and clearly crushed, please give them privacy on such a sad day. Now is when reality has set in, give them peace. Candy Kate- You're a liar. My family "7 I spent alot of time at thier home & no abuse took place. & Andrew told & took four of his friends to see where the body was. He needs to be locked up for his and everybody's safety. He was depressed over a girl breaking up with him- what teenager isn't? Quit with the mean blogging and please let the subject rest so everybody can find peace. amen.; Reply to this comment


by overlawed-overtaxed December 8, 2009 10:57 AM EST: send him to iraq; Reply to this comment

by candy_kate December 8, 2009 8:23 AM EST

Andrew had never said that Dexter influenced him to kill. What he had said was that while he was doing it, he kind of felt like Dexter. Now I'm not even sure how much of what he had said was true, as he was interviewed for 9 hours straight, and he has said that after he told the police exactly what had happened, they wouldn't leave him alone until he had told them more. He had just been talking so that they would leave him alone. DNA tests have proven that some grown men who had confessed to crimes they were suspected of doing were innocent, and this is a mere child. He's a scared, emotional child who needs help. He should be treated in a mental hospital instead of prison. Unfortunately, his parents refused to help him when it was obvious he needed it. Pulling him out of school after he tried to commit suicide and isolating him from human contact only made him worse. His mom even convinced him that he would be committed if he ever talked to anyone about his problems. His father had been abusing both him and his brother for quite some time. A few of Andrew's friends had witnessed his father grabbing him by the throat and choking him, and I remember one instance where his father was "teaching him a lesson" to not be late by cutting his hands. This is a good boy; while his peers were out up to no good drinking, doing drugs, etc., he was helping out his best friend's mom with her restaurant, knowing that she couldn't pay him much. He was in Spell Bowl and Academic Team; he had lots of friends; he was polite and good-hearted. This is not an evil boy. His parents are the ones who should be punished; this boy just needs help.

Reply to this comment


by barahbean December 12, 2009 7:40 PM EST: You are a lost soul also if you believe the lies you put on here. Who is this? Sounds like you don't know them at all.


by sarahEDK September 16, 2010 6:35 PM EDT: How do you know all this about him? Do you know why he has a patch of white hair on the top of his head? Is it from trauma? That's not a joke FYI, head trauma can destroy pigment in the area so just wondering if there was some sort of traumatic brain injury when he was younger.


by mcdanel_1771 December 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST: Susan, I agree with you. Dexter lives by a series of rules. This kid is a true sociopath, and by his own admission, was so long before "Dexter". I feel horror for their victims, but also, a strange sadness for the perpetraters. They are irreparably broken, and emotionally hollow. We have no way to help them at present, and can only put them away, or kill them.

Sick people may identify with sick media, from violent music, to video games, movies, or televised productions. Where the rest of us feel shock, they don't. That is not the fault of the media, but of the preexisting social or mental disorder.; Reply to this comment


by SusanStoHelit December 7, 2009 6:28 PM EST: He says he wanted to kill people before Dexter was even on the air. Just something a sociopath used to identify with. Too bad he didn't identify more - Dexter never kills children, nor ANYONE other than a multiple murderer. Not a harmless child.; Reply to this comment


by mcdanel_1771 December 7, 2009 2:21 PM EST: Dexter didn't influence his actions. Instead the Dexter character was someone he could identify with as being like himself; without much in the way of emotion, or the ability to comprehend the feelings of others. The kid is a sociopath, but he's no Dexter.

Like "A Clockwork Orange", whatever do we do with little Alex/Connor?; Reply to this comment