Maryland Teen Admits Killing Family

Mother, Father, Two Younger Brothers Murdered As They Slept; 16-Year-Old Pleads Guilty

(CBS/ AP)  A Maryland teenager Monday pleaded guilty to killing his father, mother and two younger brothers as they slept.

Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Browning entered the plea to four counts of murder.

Browning wept as prosecutors described the crime that occurred last February. A sheriff's deputy brought him a box of tissues.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors will not seek a sentence of life without parole. That means Browning could eventually be released.

Browning stood between his attorneys and answered a series of questions about whether he understood the plea, saying "yes, sir" and "no, sir" to Baltimore County Circuit Judge Thomas Bollinger.

Officers found Nicholas' father dead in a ground-floor room and his mother and brothers' bodies in upstairs bedrooms. They also found the gun. The victims were John, 45; Tamara, 44; Gregory, 13, and Benjamin, 11.

Police in February said Nicholas had not been getting along with his father. At the crime scene, there was no sign of a confrontation, police said at the time.

Nicholas, who was tall and gangly, was working toward becoming an Eagle Scout, and had built a prayer garden at his church to meet one of the requirements.

John Browning, a real estate lawyer, had worked in Baltimore County's oldest law firm for nearly 20 years. He was a scoutmaster and a church leader.

Browning led camping, rock climbing and whitewater expeditions for his Boy Scout troop. The family also hosted meetings for scouts' parents at their home.