Fla. teens accused of murder plot ordered to home detention, await prosecutors' next move

(CBS) Two teenage Florida friends arrested on charges of plotting to kill another teen will be released into the custody of their parents, while prosecutors determine how to proceed.

During an appearance Wednesday at the Marion County Courthouse, Circuit Judge David B. Eddy ordered Paul Alexander Malnasi and Christopher Paul Rigiero, both 16, confined to home detention, reported Ocala.com.

The pair were arrested July 8 and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The investigation began when detective Miriam Diaz with the Marion County Sheriff's Office received a report from a juvenile about an alleged plot to kill a ninth-grader.

The plan, according to authorities, was for Rigiero and Malnasi to kidnap the juvenile, whom one of them disliked intensely, gag him and hit him over the head, stuff his body in a Kelvar bag and dispose of his body in Miami. The body, they reasoned, would wash up in North Carolina and officials there would think it originated from that area.

To guarantee their plan's success, Rigiero and Malnasi contemplated killing the witness so "they wouldn't get caught," according to detectives, reported Ocala.com.

Rigiero, officials said, repeatedly emphasized how much he "hates" the intended victim.

Dressed in brown jail outfits, they appeared before the judge Wednesday with their parents present. The State Attorney's Office asked, and the judge agreed, that while in home detention the teenagers will not be allowed to have contact with each other or the other teen they allegedly wanted to harm.

The judge also told both boys they are forbidden to use the Internet and if they leave their residences, they must be accompanied by their parents.

"He's coming home. That's where we want him. He's a good kid," said Leslie Malnasi of his son Paul, according to Ocala.com.

The alleged plot shares similarities to the killing of 15-year-old Seath Jackson, who in late April was beaten, shot and tortured, before his body was tossed into a burn pit. Five teens and an adult have been charged in his death.

Before Rigiero and Malnasi were arrested, authorities located under a plastic floorboard in Malnasi's gray four-door Acura an ax, surgical cutting tools, a small torch lighter, rope, scissors and other items that officials believe were part of a torture kit.

At the time of their arrests, both young men said they were innocent.

They will return to court Wednesday, Aug. 3. At that time, the prosecution may reveal whether they intend to charge the 16-year-olds as adults.