Teen Son to be Tried as Adult in Md. Lawyer's Murder
A teenage son who allegedly murdered his father, a Maryland lawyer, his mother and two younger brothers as they slept earlier this year will be tried as an adult, a judge decided yesterday.
Despite testimony from a psychiatrist that Nicholas Browning, who was 15 at the time of the crime and is now 16, was physically and verbally abused by his parents and in a “trance-like state” when he allegedly murdered his family, Baltimore County Circuit Judge Thomas Bollinger Sr. denied a defense request to transfer the case to juvenile court, reports the Baltimore Sun. John Browning, 45, was a partner of Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid in Towson.
In addition to talking with the teenage defendant for 14 hours, the forensic psychiatrist retained by the defense, Neil Blumberg, “also interviewed relatives and friends of the Browning family, and many said they had witnessed abuse of Nicholas by his parents,” reports the Associated Press. “He said the family had a history of alcoholism and that John, Tamara and Nicholas all abused alcohol.”
Blumberg testified that the teen, who initially discussed the murders “like he was talking about taking out the trash,” said he first thought about killing his parents shortly before he allegedly committed the crimes, while walking home from a friend’s house in the early morning hours of Feb. 2, the Sun article recounts.
According to Blumberg, Browning started thinking “Wouldn’t it be nice if they weren’t here? I could do what I want. There would be no restrictions.” The teen was looking forward to eating dinner alone, the newspaper writes, “without anyone criticizing him or back-handing him at the dinner table, as he said his father routinely did.”
The gun Nicholas Browning allegedly used to commit the crimes was his father’s pistol, according to authorities.
If he is convicted of the first-degree murders with which he is charged, prosecutors have said they will seek four life prison terms. Browning is not eligible for the death penalty because he was under 18 when the crimes were committed. If convicted as a juvenile, he could have been committed to a juvenile detention facility only until he turned 21.
The trial is scheduled for December.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Authorities Say Lawyer & Family Slain By Son, 15”
