Teen killer plotted to murder his whole family
YAHOO! March 12, 2014, 10:05 am
Teen killer plotted to murder his whole family. Source: Orange County Sheriff's Department/AP
A 19-year-old man in the United States is facing the possibility of the death penalty after shooting dead his parents before turning the gun on his younger siblings.
After a month-long investigation into the brutal murders of Bradford and Andra Sachs, 57 and 54, their eldest son Ashton was arrested.
Police allege that on the night of the attack, Sachs drove from Seattle to California, a 1,900 kilometre trip, before sneaking into his family’s mansion and killing his parents while they slept.
The teenager then opened fire on his 17-year-old sister and eight-year-old brother, missing the girl but paralysing the boy.
He then boarded a plane and flew back to Seattle.
Sachs' parents Bradford and Andra. Photo: California DMV/NY Daily News.
According to Orange County Prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh, Sachs had been planning the attack for months.
“This was not something that happened at the spur of the moment or in the heat of passion,” Mr Baytieh said.
“This is a horrendous crime involving an adult man who decided to murder and kill the people who loved him the most, and the people who were supporting him.”
In the weeks following the murders, police found few clues to suggest Sachs was the perpetrator, despite interviewing his traumatised siblings.
Police said the investigation was complicated by a ‘long-list’ of people who did not like Mr and Mrs Sachs, but eventually made the breakthrough following ‘at-length’ discussions with Sachs.
The murders are not believed to be motivated by money.
