Wisconsin Teen Murdered Mom With Dumbbell, Steak Knife After Watching Menendez Doc: Complaint

Yahoo

09-03-2025

Reed Gelinskey is a 15-year-old Wisconsin teen who is accused of murdering his mom with a steak knife and dumbbell in the family's Caledonia home after being inspired by the Netflix documentary on the Menendez brothers.
"Why?" a graphic criminal complaint says Gelinskey's mom asked him as he stabbed her multiple times after hitting her over the head with the dumbbell. Shortly before, Suzanne Gelinskey was sitting on the couch working on her computer when her son turned on the Netflix show "The Menendez Brothers," the criminal complaint says.
Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving life prison terms in California for the murders of their mom and dad.
'Gelinskey stated he then developed the plan to kill his parents. He stated it came to him while he watched the 'shotgun scene,'' the complaint says.
His mom went upstairs, and the teen grabbed a steak knife and put it in his pocket, according to the complaint. He told his mom he couldn't find his medicine and hid a dumbbell bar in the sleeve of his sweatshirt while she came downstairs to look for the pills, it adds.
'Gelinskey stated while his mother's back was to him he hit her twice in the head with the dumbbell," the complaint says. She did not fall over, so he threw her to the ground and grabbed the knife, it alleges. The complaint says she tried to kick him off seven times, but he stabbed her three times in the chest and twice in the neck while she asked, 'Why?'
He's accused of replying, 'Pain.'
According to TMJ4, Suzanne Gelinskey worked as a "4K Educational Assistant at Knapp Elementary School."
According to the criminal complaint, a Caledonia police officer was sent to the family's home along White Manor Court in the Village of Caledonia around 10:30 p.m. on March 4, 2025.
A caller told police 'she received a Snapchat photo from Reed Gelinskey showing a female laying face-up on her back. The complainant also advised she saw a Snapchat photo with blood on the floor.'
Gelinskey, who was covered in blood, told police that he 'struck his mother over the head with a dumbbell in an attempt to knock her out so he could stab with with the knife," the complaint says.
Gelinskey's mom was discovered on the ground in the foyer of the home with 'apparent stab wounds and blood-soaked clothing," it says.
Police recovered a silver dumbbell near the refrigerator and a second knife near the kitchen. Gelinskey exited the home when officers arrived and dropped a brown and silver kitchen knife on the home's stoop, urging officers to kill him and saying, 'She is dead from what I did," according to the complaint.
In an interview with police, Gelinskey said he came home from school and 'felt depression and an urge to kill his parents," the complaint says.
He had been taking his brother's anxiety medication for about a month and took about nine pills during the night, it says. 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," the complaint says.
Reed Ryan Gelinskey was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, according to Wisconsin court records. His address was given as Franksville, Wisconsin.
"On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at about 10:34 pm, Caledonia Police Officers were dispatched to a single-family residence in the 10000 block of E. White Manor Court in Caledonia. It was initially reported that a juvenile male at that address had possibly killed his mother," a press release from Caledonia police says.
"As responding officers were arriving on scene, they were met by a 15-year-old juvenile male who was exiting the front door of the residence and surrendered himself to officers without incident."
"Officers cleared the residence and located an adult female deceased inside the home. Lifesaving efforts were attempted, but she had already succumbed to her injuries," the Calendonia police statement says. "Preliminary investigation indicates the victim was stabbed and also sustained blunt force trauma. The victim was identified as the mother of the juvenile male who surrendered to the responding officers."
Gelinskey's father Ryan Gelinskey appeared at his March 7 court hearing by Zoom but did not make any statements, the records show. His Facebook page describes him as a chemical operator for a corporation. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12. The court records say Reed Gelinskey's bail was set at $1 million, and he was allowed monitored contact with his dad.
A woman who knew Suzanne Gelinskey wrote a tribute to her on Facebook, saying, "She was so kind, patient, smart, caring and an all around great person. My kids loved going to her house, hanging out with her boys and I trusted her 100%. She was the type of mom another mom could feel good about leaving her kids with."