Story written for graduate school, based on past events.
The Port St. Lucie teenager who was charged with the murder of his parents threw a house party just hours after killing his mother and father with a hammer, according to police documents.
Authorities were dispatched to Tyler Hadley’s home at 4:32 a.m. on July 17 following an anonymous tip received through CrimeStoppers, a service that allows people to report crimes without getting involved with the investigation.
The caller, who police later identified as a close friend to 17-year-old Hadley, told officers that Hadley shared his plans to kill his parents multiple times on July 16, but the threats had been made in the past and were not taken seriously. The friend, who has remained unnamed due to his age, told police that he did not believe Hadley until he attended a house party at his residence later that evening, where he confided in him that he had killed his parents.
The affidavit says that Hadley told his friend about standing behind his 47-year-old mother, Mary Jo Hadley, for five minutes as she worked at a computer, contemplating her death. The documents allege that Hadley then struck her in the back of the head with a claw hammer; he went after his father, Blake Hadley, 54, when he walked into the room to check on the commotion.
Hadley’s friend told officers that he expressed disbelief before he was instructed to look for evidence in the garage, where a bloody shoeprint was found on the floor. The friend wrote in his statement that he continued to look around the house, where he found blood near the door to the master bedroom. When he peered inside, he observed human legs wearing shorts that he identified as belonging to Blake Hadley buried beneath items thrown on the floor. The friend told police that Hadley said he would end his life when law enforcement eventually arrived.
Authorities arrived at the scene after the party had ended. The report says officers saw a light on inside the Hadley residence and the teenager could be seen pacing back and forth in the room through an opening in the blinds. Police knocked on the front door after watching Hadley enter and exit the room while throwing items into another room, out of sight.
Backup was called to surround the perimeter when Hadley did not answer the door after a second knock and lights in the home had been turned off, according to the affidavit. Responding officers said Hadley answered the door before they arrived.
Police say they suspected that the young man, who had a hand hidden behind his back, was armed and ordered him to show his hands; he was taken into custody to ensure officer safety.
The report said Hadley appeared nervous and frantic, and that he was extremely talkative while speaking with police. Despite his parents’ vehicles still being parked in the residence’s driveway, Hadley told officers that his mother and father were out of town, and that they could not be reached. Authorities say that his odd behavior developed concern for other possible occupants of the house and proceeded to make an emergency entry into the home to determine their safety.
Documents say that a party appeared to have taken place in the residence, with empty beer bottles and solo cups strewn about the house. It goes on to say that the home was in a state of disarray, with furniture turned over and clothing and bedding thrown around the room.
Upon searching the rest of the house, police say they found a locked room that Hadley claimed to be his parents’ and that he did not have keys to unlock it. A sergeant was contacted after an officer spotted blood near the room. The report said that another officer was able to force open the door and observed large amounts of blood and blood stains, as well as what appeared to be furniture from other rooms in the house.
Police say that Blake and Mary Jo Hadley’s bodies were found buried beneath the detritus. Emergency medical responders were called to the scene, where they confirmed Hadley’s parents’ deaths. Their wounds were consistent with those left by the claw end of a hammer, which was found under the bodies. A dog had also been discovered in a locked closet.
Tyler Hadley will make his first appearance in court today, July 19, where he faces two charges of second-degree murder.