Fifteen-year-old Nehemiah Griego allegedly shot his parents and three younger siblings dead on Saturday and investigators are still trying to piece together clues to figure out why. The young man reportedly had no history of arrests or of being in the juvenile justice system, which goes to show that not every violent crime can be attributed to someone with a criminal past. However, some new details have surfaced about the accused shooter that show that red flags might have been present all along. The latest updates on this teen's case have come to the media today (January 21, 2013).
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the New Mexico teen had homicidal and suicidal thoughts. This is according to what the accused shooter told police after he was arrested. The probable cause statement reveals that Griego allegedly shot his mother first when she was sleeping, and then his younger brother who was in the same room. He then reportedly shot his two younger brothers who were in a different room. The probable cause statement also says that he awaited the return of his father before "gunning him down."
If this young man had thoughts about homicide and suicide, weren't there red flags indicating he was going to soon snap? It may never be known because the only people who had that close of contact with him on a daily basis are now dead while he sits in police custody.
Disturbingly, one of the weapons used in this shooting is described as being a semi-automatic assault rifle. The owner of the gun is not yet known, so this is certainly a head-scratcher that needs more attention paid to it. Officials are currently investigating how this 15-year-old got ahold of so many guns.
Nehemiah Griego is accused of brutally executing his 51-year-old father, 40-year-old mother, 9-year-old brother and his sisters, ages 5 and 2. If he is truly guilty of these crimes, he deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. However, this case should also be among those studied by experts who are trying to figure out if there are any links between genetics and murders of this coldblooded nature.
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