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Crime

On July 16th, 2011, 17-year-old Tyler Hadley began posting on social media about a party he was planning to have that night. Since he lived with his parents, he had to kill them to have the place to himself.

Tyler took three ecstasy pills and attacked his mother, Mary Jo Hadley, from behind with a claw hammer as she worked on her computer in the family room. Hearing screams, his father, Blake Hadley, ran into the family room to see what was going on; he, too, was beaten with the same weapon.

After killing his parents, he dragged their bodies into the master bedroom. He spent time cleaning up the blood and throwing anything that reminded him of his parents on top of their bodies.

He then took their ATM card to purchase items for the party and picked up some friends. He had about 60 guests for the party and didn’t mind telling people what he did to his parents.

Most people he told didn’t believe him or were freaked out and left the party. Tyler’s best friend, Michael Mandell, was skeptical until he saw blood in different areas throughout the house.

When Hadley got preoccupied, Mandell snuck away and peeked into the master bedroom. There he saw a bunch of stuff thrown on the bed with a human leg poking out underneath the pile.

After leaving the party, Mandell alerted authorities about the murders, and Hadley was arrested the next morning.

Investigators learned that he had been detained for several petty crimes and had been abusing drugs and alcohol for years. They determined he killed his parents because they were planning to put him in an inpatient addiction program.

Legal Proceedings

Tyler Hadley pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2014.

CBS12 reported in April 2016, that his sentence was overturned because the judge “did not consider the correct alternative to a life sentence.”

When he was resentenced in December 2018, he was once again given a life sentence. His case can be reviewed after 25 years, so around 2036. A positive review could lead to a sentence reduction or early release.