On July 16, 2011 at 1:15 p.m., 17-year-old Tyler Hadley posted on Facebook: “Party at my house tonight…maybe.
Only one thing kept him from partying, his parents were at home.
Tyler’s parents, Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley, wouldn’t let him party because they had just put him in jail for alcohol and drug abuse.
Blake and Mary-Jo.
A few of his friends knew about the punishment and were therefore very surprised to hear of a possible party at Tyler’s house.
“I don’t know guys, I’m working on it,” he replied when asked if there would be a party.
At 8:15 p.m., he posted another message on Facebook. “Party at my house, listen to me.”
A friend, he asked, “What if your parents come home?”
“It won’t happen, trust me,” Tyler replied.
The reason he could be so sure was that he had already killed both his mother and his father. The bodies were still in the house when the revelers were carried to the yard.
Photo/Port St. Lucie Police Department
“Why the hell not?”
Blake and Mary-Jo had been very worried about their son for a long time. They sent Tyler to a psychologist and addiction treatment, but nothing worked. On that fateful night, he was on probation for driving under the influence, but Tyler was determined to have fun with his friends.
He posted the message on Facebook, stole his parents’ phone and took ecstasy around 5:00 p.m. He then brought a hammer to the garage where his mother worked at a desk. When he struck the first blow at his mother, she cried, “Why?”
He replied, “Why the hell not?”
Tyler at trial.
His father heard the commotion and when he entered the garage, Tyler attacked him as well. He brutally murdered them both in cold blood. He then dragged their bodies to their bedroom and closed the door.
About 60 guests came to his house and no one had any idea what had happened earlier that evening and what was hiding behind his parents’ bedroom door.
He gave different explanations to his friends about his parents’ whereabouts, but ended up confessing to one of his friends, who took a selfie with Tyler and then reported him to the police.
The selfie in question of Tyler and his friend, which was taken after the murder.
The police arrived and arrested Tyler, as the party continued. He was sentenced to life imprisonment three years later.