RACINE, Wis. (WTMJ) – A 15-year-old boy from Wisconsin is being charged as an adult after prosecutors say he planned to kill both his parents in a crime allegedly inspired by a documentary about the Menendez brothers.
Reed Gelinskey, 15, made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon over Zoom, during which his cash bond was set at $1 million. He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the stabbing death of his mother, 63-year-old Suzanne Gelinskey.
Court documents reveal a gruesome scene when officers arrived at the family’s home at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officers say they saw the 15-year-old exiting the house with a kitchen knife, and he allegedly told them he killed his mother.
“She is dead. She is dead from what I did,” said Reed Gelinskey, according to a criminal complaint.
During questioning, the 15-year-old told investigators he came home from school that day feeling depressed and having an urge to kill his parents. He also said he had been taking his brother’s anxiety medication for about a month, saying “it makes him high and he enjoys that.” That night, he said he took nine pills.
After dinner, Reed Gelinskey watched a documentary about Lyle and Erik Menendez on Netflix. The Associated Press reports the two brothers were 18 and 21 when they were found guilty for the 1989 killing of their parents. The teenager said that inspired him to kill his own parents, according to the complaint.
The complaint goes on to say he allegedly hit his mother with a dumbbell while she searched for his sleeping medication before stabbing her repeatedly.
The teenager said his mother asked, “Why?” and he replied, “Pain.”
The complaint says Reed Gelinskey also had plans to kill his father with a hammer when he came home from work but “could not find one large enough.”
Suzanne Gelinskey was an educational assistant at Knapp Elementary School, where many are remembering her for her kindness and positive attitude.
“She always had a smile on her face. She could brighten every kid, even if they were crabby—she knew how to help them,” said Ketti Bingen, whose son was taught by the victim. “We’re just all trying to work through everything the best we can. We take it day by day.”
Reed Gelinskey is due back in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, according to court records.
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