Caledonia boy inspired by Menendez brothers fatally stabs mother, complaint says
A 15-year-old Racine County boy says he was inspired by California's Menendez brothers when he stabbed his mother to death earlier this week, according to prosecutors.
Reed R. Gelinskey was charged Thursday with first-degree intentional homicide by the Racine County District Attorney's Office.
As police arrived at the Caledonia home in 10000 block of White Manor Court at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Gelinskey dropped a knife in front of officers and admitted to killing his mother while asking officers to kill him, according to prosecutors.
Gelinskey's mother is only identified with the initials SG in the complaint.
Gelinskey told a detective during his interview that he came home from school and felt depression and an urge to kill his parents, the complaint says. Gelinskey said he had been taking his brother's anxiety medication for about a month and during the night of the murder he took about nine pills, according to the complaint. The teen said the pills didn't help with anxiety but made him feel high and he enjoys that.
According to the complaint, Gelinskey said he searched the home for a hammer because he was going to kill his father when he came home from work but could not find one large enough. Gelinskey said after dinner, his mother was seated on the couch using her computer and so he started watching a movie.
Gelinskey said he turned on a Netflix documentary about Lyle and Erik Menendez, famed brothers who were convicted of killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Gelinskey said this is when he developed the plan to kill his parents and he said it came to him during the "shotgun scene," which graphically depicts the killing of José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez.
Gelinskey's mother went upstairs at about 9:50 p.m. and that is when he got up to hide his sleeping medication, according to the complaint. He said after hiding the medication he grabbed a steak knife and put it in his pocket before telling his mother that he couldn't find his medicine.
Gelinskey said he hid a dumbbell bar in the sleeve of his sweatshirt while his mother came down to look for the pills. As his mother's back was turned, Gelinskey hit her twice in the head with the dumbbell, the complaint says. Gelinskey said he thought she would fall over but she did not so he threw her to the ground and grabbed the knife. According to the complaint, Gelinskey said his mother tried to kick him off her several times but eventually he stabbed her three times in the chest and twice in the neck.
Gelinskey said his mother asked him, "Why?" and he replied, "Pain," the complaint says.
After the attack, Gelinskey said he contacted his friend via Snapchat and told her to call the police. He said he sat on the floor until he heard sirens and once those stopped, he went outside to investigate where he was met by police.
"She is dead," Gelinskey said to officers, according to the complaint. "She is dead from what I did," he added.
Gelinskey appeared in court Thursday where bail was set at $1 million. If convicted, he faces a mandatory life sentence.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin boy inspired by Menendez brothers kills mother
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