Boy, 14, Accused Of Murdering His Father and Autistic Brother Says The Stress of Having A Disabled Sibling Drove Him To Kill

Eldon Samuel III, accused of murdering his father and brother on March 24, says the stress of living with an autistic sibling caused him to snap.

The kicker? Samuel is only 14 years old.

Eldon Gale Samuel III’s 13-year-old brother, Jonathan Samuel, had autism, which Eldon told authorities caused his father, 46-year-old Eldon Samuel Jr., to develop an addiction to painkillers, and for his mother to leave the family…’Eldon, when asked why he did what he did, said “If [his brother] wasn’t there … we’d be a happy family,’” Magistrate Judge Barry Watson told reporters on Friday.

Eldon described ‘hating Jonathan for about five years,’ the Spokesman-Review reports. He told authorities that he loved his father, but that he acted crazy when he was under the influence of drugs…’He just beat me. I loved him, but the next time he came after me …,’ Samuel told police officers in a report quoted by Watson. ‘That’s self-defense, right?’

As much as I believe that Samuel should be held accountable and punished, if the abuse allegation is true, it’s hard to condemn him. What a sad story all around–he is, after all, just a kid.

Also see::  The 20 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media (2013 Edition)