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Teen charged with killing family to undergo psychiatric evaluation
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In this undated photo provided by relatives, Nicholas Browning, far right, is shown with parents Tamara and John Browning, and brothers Gregory, 14, and Benjamin, 11. Nicholas is charged with killing his family in their Cockeysville home. – AP
Wearing a light blue polo shirt and glasses with his dirty blond hair cut short, Nicholas Browning smiled meekly to family members who waved to him as he entered a Baltimore County Circuit Court room.
He did not speak. Afterward, family members also declined to comment.
Judge Thomas Bollinger ruled that nothing Browning says during the evaluation can be used against him in court. The judge denied a request from Browning’s attorneys to have a psychiatrist of their choosing present at the evaluation. Bollinger said the defense could have Browning evaluated after the state is finished.
“We are not alleging that Nick is not competent,” said William Brennan, one of Browning’s attorneys.
Another of Browning’s attorneys, Joshua Treem, said they are turning over all records they’ve obtained from the Baltimore County Public Schools about Browning to the psychiatrist.
“We are not aware of any previous mental health evaluation or treatment records,” Treem said.
Browning is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of illegal use of a handgun in commission of a violent crime.
John Browning, 45, his wife, Tamara, 44, and sons Gregory, 14, and Benjamin, 11, were found dead in their Cockeysville home around 5 p.m. Feb. 2 by Nicholas Browning as he returned from a friend’s house, police said.
Police said the honor student at Dulaney High School who was close to becoming an Eagle Scout executed his family — one by one — then dumped his father’s gun in nearby bushes and later confessed to the crime.
He faces up to life in prison. Another hearing is scheduled for June 4, when Browning’s attorneys will try to have him tried as a juvenile. His trial date is set for July 14.
Browning marked his 16th birthday behind bars in the Baltimore County Detention Center. He was 15 when police say he committed the slayings.
lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com
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Mimi said:
If you think people are overreacting and people should "help him move forward with his life", you are operating under the assumption that he feels guilty for what he's done. Furthermore if you feel what he did was just a mistake, then you're operating under the assumption that he killed out of passion. According to this article, it does not seem like he did. If he felt guilty for killing his family, why would he hang out with his friends after it happened? Why would he invite them to a party at his house, knowing his family's bodies were there? He killed people who cared for him and trusted him simply because he couldn't get his way. All of these actions portray a young man who is selfish, callous, and remorseless. Also, since he is (apparently) remorseless, what consoling does he need? Telling him it is okay just sends the message that he truly can do whatever he wants to anyone, it will "all be okay."
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Shocked in Mississippi said:
Well, regardless if he is a child or not, he made a very caculated, malicious decision like an adult. Therefore he will be punished like one. And what future does he have...to be a serial killer? You want him to look forward to what? Getting out and killing four more people every time he does not get his way! Taking up for him does not make you look good. From his family, I could understand something like that, but then it would still be hard to digest. His life is over and ended the moment he ended his parents and his little brothers. I believe in God and according to the Bible, his days are seemingly few...I don't believe in the death penalty, but to keep him alive for 23years when his brothers were just barely older than that combined is crazy!
2 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
this is all too sad! the kid makes one mistake! a really bad mistake i might add and you guys think its the end of the world! Since we cant go back in time i think you guys should just stop talking about this and know that if you were the one who did that to your family then you woudl want more people to say its ok you can start a new better path and it can be forgotten a lot less! but NOOOO but almost all of you guys are sayin really bad mean things about him! just help make him have a better future!
0 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
He is so stupid and I feel bad for all the kids in my school who were friends with his brothers...I cant imagine what they feel...nick browning you are an IDIOT!
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Nick Browning was a classmate of mine at DHS. He sat right in front of me, I didn't know it would be him that everyone was talking about. Even though we only knew eachothers names, I was shocked. He was a straight A student, mostly GT classes, and was popular. All I feel for him is great pity. I don't think I have the right to critisize him because I never in my life felt a way to want to kill my family members. Others may disagree and say that is wrong, it is wrong but to think of what he is going through right now... I am speechless. He is clearly not mundane, that is why I pity him because we are normal and he is not.
2 agree | 0 disagree
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SAS said:
What a spoiled, ungrateful little bastard. First, because he objects to their correcting his misbehavior, he calculatingly kills them. Then after the physical violence is done, he smears the reputations of his murdered father and mother. Patricide, Matricide, slander -- it's hard to think a a more grotesque set of moral and legal crimes. Lock him up and throw away the key.
6 agree | 2 disagree
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Anonymous said:
Nick's life = thrown away would have been better for him if his parents were still there.
1 agree | 0 disagree
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xkittenx said:
Can i just say i didnt no the family but this is all speculation no one will eer no the extent of the abuse Nick suffered if any,Or if he was maybe treated differently than his brothers as he was older.My heart goes out to the whole family including Nick who is himself just a child. please remember NO ONE NO'S WHAT GOES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOOR'S one things for sure something has gone tragically wrong in this young man's life for this to have happened.....
10 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I believe that Browning is already paying for life sentence because he has killed his entire family.
3 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Abuse.....that's a bunch of bull_ _ _ _ ! It does give the McDonough School youth something to aspire to!
2 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The line of defense Nicholas Browning's lawyer proposes is sickening. It is an insult not only to the victims, but to children everywhere who are suffering through the trauma of real emotional and physical abuse.
8 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
When I read articles about this case my prevailing thoughts are of the survivors, particularly Tammy's sister and family. I can not even begin to imagine the array of emotions they are feeling all while having the responsibility of being the legal guardian for Nick. My prayers are for them, more than for Nick, as they are faced with an upcoming trial where they will have to relive the events of that night and listen to maligning comments about the Tammy & John. All this while having to handle the Browning estate, their own family & jobs. My message to them - although it will be of little comfort to you, please know that the thoughts and prayers of many are with you.
9 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I did not know the family, but even if Nick was abused as he asserts, the murders were not justified - particularly those of his brothers! I have a feeling that the only thing his parents were "guilty" of was not acknowledging just how ill Nick was. Things have certainly gotten better, but there is still a stigma attached to mental illness. Or, perhaps he was receiving treatment and was not properly monitored. At least one of the Columbine killers was on a medication linked to teen homicide and suicide. Whatever the case, this is a horrible tragedy and my heart goes out to friends and family of the Brownings.
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i knew this family since our kids nick and my daughter who was close to nick since 6th gr i find these tales so crazy i do know john and tammy were hard on them all with school n sports yes ill say too extreme but to kill them he is a smart young man he could of went to someone anyone for help and yes why the boys what did they do to deserve to be killed
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i knew tammy and nick im still stunned ok nick if this was true im deeply sorry i wish you would of came to us or someone if things were so bad but may i ask you why did you kill the boys why your brothers what did greg do what abuse did they do to you to make you kill them you could of passed by and never went into them n left why
6 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I was a friend of the Brownings, knowing John particularly well. With the exception of Nick, you could not know a finer family. It saddens me that Nick is using his parent's money to hire scum to tell lies about the parents and little brothers that he planned to and admitted to murdering. That is a crime on top of a crime. I pray for Peace and Justice.
12 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Nick Browning is not only a vicious and violent murderer but he is a pathological liar. Thank God, the outlandish testimony of Dr. Neil Blumberg was not accepted by the Court and that we don't have to worry about Nick Browning being out on the streets when he reaches the age of twenty-one to continue his career of murdering. However, it's too bad that Nick is not eligible for the death penalty. We can only hope that the eventual sentence will be Life Without Parole.
9 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I feel so sad for his surviving family members, not only do they have to grieve the loss of the slain, but they have to try and make sense as to why Nick did this. All these stories portray Nick as some Monster, and maybe he is, we may never know what is truly in his mind. However, this IS America, we have a thing called due process and innocent until proven guilty. It is not up to any one person to decide his fate, it is up to a jury. And in the greater scale, it is up to God. He will have to answer for what he has done, and everyday for the rest of his life he will have to live with the thought that his family is gone, forever and nothing is going to bring them back. No matter what is said I believe this young boy is going through somthing terrible...the mind of a 15 year is so fragile, we need to remember how we felt at that age...everything was so terrible, it was never our faults! What he needs is help...not condemnation!!! He and his family will be in my prayers.
8 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Nick needs to be lock away for good its sad to know that people these days they are crazy.
4 agree | 4 disagree
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Neil B. said:
The kid just needs to be locked away. There is nothing that can justify killing 4 people. He forfeit his future when he killed his family.
13 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Defense attorneys.....scum of the earth. They are the reason that nobody is held accountable for their actions these days. Police lock people up...defense attorneys find ways to let them go.
10 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Nicholas Browning should pay for his crime before any consideration !
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
animal!!!!
10 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why would the source be unhappy about that being put on the internet? It isn't anything alarming.
6 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i doubt your reliable source would like you putting their knowledge on the internet
6 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I was told by one reliable source that he is "holding up under the circumstances". I have not heard from Tammy's sister or Nick. I hope to soon. Anyone know anything else? and thanks for asking.
6 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How is Nick?
9 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Thank you to those who responded. I did find a way to contact Tammy's sister.
8 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How do I tell him how to contact me? (short of internet, which I agree isn't safe.) And how would I find Tammy's sister? I left my contact info with the Funeral home who handled the services. They were informed to let the brothers and sisters have this info. Again, my other cousins did not respond, and Nick's Grandmother doesn't know me. His late Grandfather was my relative and they divorced years ago. Thanks for response. And the prayers. I truly appreciate it.
8 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Who ever was from Ohio and wanted to know about Nick, you should talk to Tammy's sister, I won't say her name on the internet.
8 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Someone was edited. All the person said was that he/she could help but this was not the place. I wonder who is editing these columns, and why. Nothing upsetting or offensive was in that answer. Strange.
10 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Tell him how to find you. I'm praying for the family.
9 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It's been over a month now since Nick killed my second cousin John, (his father)and the rest of his family-my distant family. I never had the pleasure of meeting Tamara or Greg,or Ben,and now never will. Being in Ohio, I can not find out what is happening with Nick now. I never met him either, but I am sure that Johnny would want us to at least know what is going on with him. Is anyone who knew them still able to keep informed on this? Unfortunately, neither Lee nor Sally (John's brother and sister) have responded to my cards. Understandably. Can someone else help us out over here?. Thanks.
9 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I did not know what he was referring to and was asking. There is nothing previously written (that I have seen) that seems like it would ellicit such a response. Maybe the writer was thinking things but not articulating them well enough for viewers to understand the thinking process. You seem to be quite mean.
10 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The article that referenced the phrase "we gave birth to the kid that will kill us in exactly 16 years" was removed because it was inappropriate. Your comment "I am not sure what article or comment you are referring to in your comments, or are you responding to the thoughts in your head?" is also inappropriate.
27 agree | 17 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
7:38pm, what are you talking about? Where did you get that quote? Nick turned 16 on the day of the funeral, a week after the killings. I am not sure what article or comment you are referring to in your comments, or are you responding to the thoughts in your head?
14 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Nick turned 16 on the day of the funeral, not a week later. You don't think he knew that someone under 16 couldn't get the death penalty? What would provoke someone to say "we gave birth to the kid that will kill us in exactly 16 years"
28 agree | 21 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I went to school with Nick and people say he was jealous of his brother Gregory because he was a lot more popular. What Lockwood said was true. He really was a arrogant and made fun of everyone, especially mentally challenged kids.
17 agree | 14 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Nick and his arrogance are to blame, not his affluence.
38 agree | 27 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
4:59am, Tues, 2/26, I don't get it. What does playing two sports in the spring (taking a lot of time from the daily schedule) have to do with this? First of all, people can write whatever they want here. This is not a court of law. Don't worry; what people write here will have no bearing on Nick's case if the lawyers do their jobs properly and eliminate biased juror candidates.
30 agree | 29 disagree
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Mike said:
Goodbye - Little Nicky
25 agree | 36 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why bother to even have a trial since so many have already have found Nick to be a cold blooded murderer. I see a 15 year old who was an honor student, boy scout, member of both the lacrosse and golf teams. By the way, these 2 sports are played in the spring of the year. All of these require an enormous amount of time out of a dailey schedule. I don't condone what he is accused of doing, but don't believe everything you hear and only half of what you see.
34 agree | 31 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Cold blooded Nick need to rot in jail!!!
43 agree | 34 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Typically when we hear stories like this, the perpetrator had a horribly abusive life, and almost always came from a broken home. It is devasting, not only because these parents obviously devoted so much of their time and energy to their children, but because Nick (unlike most criminals) had so far to fall. He had it all, and went from such a comfortable, loving home with a bright future to an empty long life of struggle ahead of him. He'll never have dates, a serious girlfriend to become his wife; he'll never have family vacations, go to college, see his friends get married, have children...The people who loved him the most are gone, and now he is among people who really don't give a hoot about him. We don't know what was going through his mind at the time. This may be irrevelant, but a college friend of mine had a teen brother who had acted extremely irritable and downright mean for a year before he suicided. An autopsy showed he had a brain tumor. You just never know...
44 agree | 20 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
mThose congratulating Lockwood for his courage for speaking out against Nick’s character have got the wrong idea. Lockwood was not friends with Nick, and cannot be used as a reliable source. He probably jumped at the opportunity to give his opinion about a boy he never liked. Nick never exhibited behavior outrageously prominent for that of a 15 year old boy – come on, there are plenty of kids without tact who joke about killing their parents, it may not be good, but it’s not a warning sign for a potential murderer. Nick was insensitive, but not to everyone. I think it’s hard to comment on this issue, because I did not know Nick personally. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a sociopath, but for you all to assume his character and motives is presumptuous and unintelligent, for who is to say if you had been him you wouldn’t have done the exact same thing. I’m pretty sure that the whole party scenario is false, the kids who dropped him off at the house gave me no such information.
39 agree | 47 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
as a friend of both Nick and the Brownings I would like to let you know that some of the information in all the articles about this horrible situation are not true. In order to get higher ratings and views the networks and newspapers will take statements from anyone, including people that never knew them. Also, how can you say things about this family (including Nick) without knowing them, especially when a lot of the information you are getting is false.
42 agree | 48 disagree
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Mike said:
You know - there are millions of people in the world and tons of kids turning fifteen and sixteen every year in all countries. These kids are testing their parents and butting heads with them every year. I was a teenager myself and I went through it. However, how many shoot and kill their fathers? How many shoot the rest of their family? I'm sure that Nicholas seemed like a good kid growing up. But it's coming out now that he has had issues over the past year. I'm sure he was thinking that he now had this nice house and all this money - and was ready to party and drive his brand new car! This kid has no appreciation of what he had but I'll bet his prison cell will show him now. I can't believe he decided to have a party at his house on Saturday knowing that his family was there left to die. He was upset that his father told him that he had to go on his traditional family ski trip. The average family can't afford a ski trip or a second vacation home. Let Nicholas rot in prison!
42 agree | 42 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I know people who knew and loved John Browning. It sounds like he recognized that Nick was trying to go down the wrong path and that he made him stick w/boy scouts, etc since it was positive and healthy. What we all need to realize is that if we have a child who exhibits bullying behavior and seems negative and arrogant, we need to seek professional help instead of trying to handle it ourselves. What I wonder is whether military school could have helped (Dr Laura's typical solution for an attitude boy) or if there even is any help for a child with such a mean streak and on the flip side, a charming personality when needed.
35 agree | 33 disagree
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Challenger said:
Seems to me Nicholas, he was set up. Let the judge rule and the good lord above.
46 agree | 47 disagree
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McDonald Berger-King said:
...Those who knew the Brownings will tell you nothing could be further from the truth. John was home for dinner with his family and coached his boys in lacrosse. He was a scout master who spent countless hours bettering the lives of not only his own sons, but many others. He was a devoted father and husband who provided for his family. If "privilege" means being educated and working hard to provide for your family, many of us are guilty... Well, I made my remarks as theory or suggestion. One of John's partners mentioned Browning worked for his boys. I live for my kids. The Browning tragedy has many unanswered questions. John seemed like a very decent, self sacrificing guy who did all he could. What, though, went wrong? Why didn't someone in his circle recognize the venom Nicholas had for his folks? Why did he bully people smaller and more vulnerable than he? Including his own brothers? Nicholas sounded like a powder keg ready to blast. Sociopath? Judging by some his actions, maybe.
40 agree | 32 disagree
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