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COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A 14-year-old boy charged with killing his father and younger brother told investigators he had prepared for the killings for months.
Eldon G. Samuel III is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Monday night deaths of his father, Eldon Samuel Jr., 46, and his brother, 13-year-old Jonathan Samuel, inside a home owned by St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho.
His bail was set Tuesday at $1 million.
The Spokesman-Review (http://bit.ly/1o16woG ) reported Wednesday that Samuel told investigators he hated his brother and blamed him for his anger and frustration. Samuel also claimed his dad often beat him and had been taking medication and talking about zombies.
According to investigators, the boy told them his father fired a pistol outside the house Monday night, then came inside, where a dispute arose between the two. Samuel said his father pushed him twice in the chest, after which Samuel took the gun and shot his father in the stomach. He said he shot his father twice more.
He described his father crawling toward his brother's room, and described shooting his father twice more in the cheek and once in the temple.
Samuel said he then used a shotgun, knife and machete to kill his brother, who was hiding under his bed, investigators said. Jonathan Samuel had cuts and wounds on his skull, arm, hand and leg, the police report said.
When police entered the house, they found the elder Samuel propped against a wall, and the younger boy lying face down across his father's legs. Both were dead.
Eldon Samuel III was charged as an adult and made his first appearance Tuesday afternoon in First District Court in Kootenai County before Senior Judge Robert Burton.
Samuel sat quietly, speaking only to say he understood his rights and the charges against him. He was appointed a public defender.
"We are surprised to learn of the weapons that were used in this crime as they are prohibited in all of our programs," St. Vincent de Paul officials said in a statement. "We, like the rest of our community, wait for more information so we can begin to understand why this happened."
The Samuels moved to Coeur d'Alene from California last year. The three had lived in the small house for about three months and were getting ready to move to permanent housing, said Jeff Conroy, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho.
The brothers were registered in the Coeur d'Alene School District. Eldon Samuel attended Lakes Magnet Middle School, and Jonathan Samuel attended Canfield Middle School.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
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