Pa. Teen Charged In Triple Murder

Authorities say a high school student accused of breaking into the home of a fellow classmate, then stabbing the teenager and his parents to death last month was arrested on Saturday.

Alec Devon Kreider, 16, of Lancaster, was charged with three counts of murder after his father told police that he had confessed earlier in the week to the killings, Manheim Township Police Chief Neil J. Harkins said at a news conference.

Kreider and the teenage victim were friends and fellow sophomores at Manheim Township High School, officials said. Authorities described Kevin Haines, 16, as the intended target, but declined comment on a possible motive.

Kreider went to the home intending to smother Kevin, but instead stabbed him in the neck and chest, according to a police affidavit.

"He broke in with the intent to kill," said Lancaster County District Attorney Donald Totaro.

The bodies of Thomas Alan Haines, 50; Lisa Ann Haines, 47; and their son were found on May 12 at their house in Manheim Township. Thomas Haines was stabbed in the chest and his wife in the abdomen.

Their college-age daughter Margaret "Maggie" Haines told police she was awakened by a noise about 2 a.m. and went into her parents' bedroom, where she said she found her father lying on the bed and her mother sitting nearby. The mother quietly told her to get help, according to police.

When police arrived a short time later, they found the parents dead in their bedroom and the son in a hallway.

Kreider was held without bail following an arraignment Saturday.

Defense lawyer John A. Kenneff said he has asked to postpone a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday, but otherwise declined comment.

Kreider allegedly confessed Tuesday to his father, Timothy Kreider, who went to police Thursday evening. Police spent the next two days investigating before making an arrest.

The Kreider family does not plan to comment, said their lawyer, Robert Beyer.

Kevin Haines was a sophomore at Manheim Township High School, where he was a member of the German club and Quiz Bowl team.

Maggie Haines, a 2005 graduate of Manheim Township, had returned home just days earlier after finishing her sophomore year at Bucknell University.

Thomas Haines was a salesman at Motion Industries in Lancaster, while his wife taught at Lancaster Brethren Preschool.