Teen Killed Family Over Phone Dispute, Spent Days With Dead Body

A 16-year-old Brazilian boy, enraged after having his cell phone confiscated, fatally shot his parents and sister in their Sao Paulo home, police reported on Wednesday.

The triple homicide occurred on Friday, but it only came to public attention on Monday when the boy called the police and confessed, according to a statement from the local security ministry.

Roberto Afonso, the lead investigator, explained that the adopted teenager became “extremely frustrated” after an argument led to his parents taking his phone away.

In a detailed confession, the boy revealed that he took his father’s service gun—a municipal policeman—and shot him in the back. He then went upstairs and shot his 16-year-old sister in the face. Hours later, when his mother returned home, he used the same weapon to kill her, police reported.

The father was 57 years old and the mother was 50, authorities noted.

“We need to determine whether this frustration was linked to a psychological disturbance,” Afonso told Brazilian TV network Record.

The police are also investigating whether there was any outside involvement, including whether the boy had spoken to anyone on the phone prior to the killings, Afonso added.

The teenager stayed in the house with the bodies from Friday until early Monday, when he was arrested. During that period, he visited the gym and bought items from a bakery. Still harboring anger on Saturday, he stabbed his mother’s body with a knife, Afonso said.

The boy, now in a juvenile detention center, exhibited a “cold” demeanor when discussing the crimes, Afonso reported.

In Brazil, minors are protected by specific legislation and cannot be tried as adults.