Fla. teen Tyler Hadley killed parents with hammer, posted party info on Facebook, say cops
(CBS/WPEC) PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Police say Florida teen Tyler Hadley "brutally and mercilessly" beat his parents to death with a hammer and then threw a house party via Facebook invites while their bodies remained in a locked bedroom.
Hadley was arrested and charged with counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bond. Police say he will be charged as an adult.
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 CBS affiliate 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 believe the mother was killed first, then the father and the bodies were then dragged into the master bedroom. Kryak said the bodies were only partially hidden under linens, books, picture frames and towels.
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.
Blake Hadley has been identified as an employee at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. Mary-Jo Hadley was an elementary school teacher in the St. Lucie County school system with 24 years of experience. She had worked the last six years at at Village Green Environmental Studies School, the school district reported.
Police say Tyler Hadley dropped out of classes at St. Lucie West Centennial High School and had apparently attempted diploma completion programs at two other schools.
Court documents show the Hadleys were being sued in St. Lucie County for $15,000 after Tyler Hadley allegedly struck and injured a child pedestrian in June 2010 while driving a car registered to his father. The suit was filed in May.
An autopsy on the parents' bodies is scheduled.
Police are asking anyone who attended the party to contact them as part of the investigation at 772-871-5000.