Andrew Conley, 17, was charged as an adult in Ohio Circuit Court with murdering his brother, Conner Conley, a decision that the boys' parents supported, said Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor Aaron Negangard. In front of a few of his friends, the teen answered only basic questions during Friday's hearing. His attorney, Gary Sorge, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, and left the courthouse without talking to reporters.
Nearby, the boys' parents, Shawn and Bridget Conley, greeted a steady stream of friends and well-wishers who came to a viewing of Connor's body at the Markland Funeral Home. The fifth-grader was dressed in a dark suit and lay in an open casket.
The boy's killing has left residents of this small Ohio River town 90 miles southeast of Indianapolis shaken and confused.
According to prosecutors, Andrew Conley, told investigators he strangled Conner while they were wrestling at their home Sunday, then drove his body to a park and dumped it. They say he said he did it to satisfy his craving to kill.
Townspeople described Andrew on Friday as "nice," "normal," and "polite." A relative of the family, Debbie Snyder, said the Conleys were a "strong" and "balanced" family.
And school officials said the brothers were good students and had many friends. Andrew got As and Bs, was a member of the Spanish club and had no record of disciplinary problems.
The Conleys withdrew Andrew from school on Nov. 16, 12 days before Conner's body was found near a city park, Rising Sun-Ohio County Community Schools Superintendent Stephen Patz said Friday. He declined to say why, and the parents have not talked to the media.
Prosecutors, in an affidavit, said Andrew Conley showed no remorse when he entered the police station Sunday and announced that he had killed his brother. They said he described how he choked his younger brother, saying he strangled the boy to satisfy a craving like a hungry person eating a hamburger.
They also said Conley told investigators that killing his brother made him feel like the fictional television serial killer "Dexter," and that he had cut himself in the past.
Dr. Lisa Boesky, a San Diego child psychologist and expert on teen and child behavior, said the boy's alleged self-mutilation indicated he may have been suffering from depression or anxiety, or experiencing overwhelming emotions such as rage.
