Charges reduced against Fla. teen Tyler Hadley, who allegedly killed parents, had house party
(CBS/WPEC) PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - The charges against 17-year-old Florida teen Tyler Hadley, accused of bludgeoning his parents to death with a hammer then throwing a party, were reduced in his first court appearance to second-degree murder.
According to CBS affiliate WPEC, Hadley was arraigned Tuesday morning on the lesser murder charges, which means execution is not an option for prosecutors in the case.
Hadley was arrested and charged with counts of first-degree murder. Police say he will be charged as an adult. He is being held without bail.
Port St. Lucie police spokesman Tom Nichols said police were dispatched to the scene at 4:20 a.m. Sunday on a tip that the 17-year-old had murdered his parents and the bodies remained inside the house, reports WPEC.
Police arrived and were greeted by a "nervous and panicky" Hadley and evidence of a house party, said police Capt. Don Kryak. Hadley reportedly told police that his parents were out of town. After Hadley was transported to police headquarters for questioning and a search warrant obtained, police found behind the locked master bedroom door the bodies of Blake, 54, and Mary-Jo Hadley, 47, Tyler's parents. The bodies were partially buried under household items with a hammer between them.
Police believe the hammer was the murder weapon. The parents' bodies had wounds to the head and torso.
"It was a merciless killing," Kryak said, describing the injuries as "brutal."
Police say the party was held Saturday night beginning about 9 p.m. and 40 to 60 people attended. An invite was posted to Hadley's friends on Facebook about 1 p.m. Saturday. It's not clear how the anonymous tipster came to suspect the bodies of Hadley's parents were in the home.
An autopsy on the parents' bodies is scheduled.
