Reasons for Florida family's massacre may never be known

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Investigators accidental that erstwhile they captured Marine seasoned Bryan Riley extracurricular the Lakeland location wherever helium allegedly killed a couple, their 3-month-old lad and the boy's grandmother, helium told them, “You cognize wherefore I did this.”

But they accidental they don't and, successful fact, whitethorn cognize wherefore Riley launched an onslaught against a household helium had nary known transportation with, but that helium whitethorn person been mentally ill. Riley's woman told investigators that helium had been saying helium could pass straight with God.

“The large question that each of america has is, ‘Why?’” section authoritative Brian Haas said aft Sunday's slayings. “We volition not cognize contiguous oregon possibly ever.”

Riley, 33, is being held without enslaved aft Sunday's massacre connected 4 counts of first-degree murder. During his archetypal tribunal quality Monday, helium said helium intended to prosecute a lawyer but a nationalist defender was appointed to correspond him until helium does.

Riley, who served arsenic a sharpshooter successful Iraq and Afghanistan, surrendered Sunday greeting aft a furious weapon conflict with authorities. After it was over, a lawman rushed into the location and rescued an 11-year-old girl, who was inactive conscious contempt being changeable 7 times. She was successful captious information connected Monday, the sheriff’s bureau said.

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According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Riley told interrogators that the victims “begged for their lives, and I killed them anyway.”

”He is evil successful the flesh,” Judd said. “Just due to the fact that you person intelligence wellness issues, does not mean you are not criminally liable."

Judd identified Justice Gleason, 40, arsenic 1 of the victims. Citing a authorities privateness law, Judd lone identified the different victims arsenic a 33-year-old woman, her babe lad and the boy's 62-year-old grandmother. Facebook posts and nationalist records amusement Gleason was successful a narration with Theresa Lanham and they had a babe boy, Jody, successful May. Lanham's mother, Catherine Delgado, owned the spot and lived there. Gleason besides had an 11-year-old girl from a erstwhile relationship.

According to Judd and tribunal records, connected Saturday evening, astir 9 hours earlier the attack, Riley stopped his motortruck and confronted Gleason arsenic helium mowed his lawn. Riley, who lives 30 miles distant successful Tampa (50 kilometers), told Gleason that God had sent him to forestall a termination by idiosyncratic named Amber.

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Gleason and 1 of the different victims told Riley nary 1 by that sanction lived determination and asked him to leave. They called 911, but erstwhile authorities arrived, Riley was gone. A lawman searched the area, but didn't find Riley. Judd said fixed the circumstances, determination wasn't overmuch much that could beryllium done.

“We get thousands of reports of suspicious people,” Judd said. “To suggest that we’ve got clip to halt and bash an probe of each suspicious conveyance is not possible. He made zero threats. He was conscionable a feline that was saying immoderate truly goofy stuff."

Riley returned astir 4:30 a.m. Sunday, arranging glowsticks to make a way starring to the location successful what Judd said whitethorn person been an effort to gully officers “into an ambush.”

Shooting soon began — and erstwhile a lawman successful the country heard popping noises, helium sounded the alarm, bringing authorities and section instrumentality enforcement officers to the scene. When they arrived, they recovered an seemingly unarmed Riley outside, dressed successful camouflage, and his motortruck ablaze.

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But Riley ran backmost into the house, wherever authorities heard much gunfire, “a pistillate shriek and a babe whimper,” Judd said.

Officers tried to participate the house, but the beforehand doorway was barricaded. Judd said erstwhile they went to the back, they saw Riley, who appeared to person donned afloat assemblage armor.

Riley and the officers exchanged dense gunfire, with dozens “if not hundreds of rounds” fired, earlier Riley retreated backmost into the home, Judd said.

Everything fell silent, until a chopper portion noticed that Riley was coming out, the sheriff said. He had been changeable erstwhile and was acceptable to surrender.

Officers heard cries for assistance wrong but were unsure whether determination were further shooters and feared the location was booby-trapped. Still, 1 serviceman rushed successful and grabbed the wounded girl, who told authorities determination were 3 dormant radical inside.

The sheriff’s bureau said they each had been huddling successful fear, with the lad dying successful his mother’s arms. Even the household canine was changeable dead.

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“I volition ne'er beryllium capable to unsee that parent with that deceased babe successful her arms," Judd said. “It is simply a fearfulness of the utmost magnitude.”

Family person Pansy Mincey Smith told The Ledger she past saw Gleason astatine the infirmary soon aft his lad was born.

“You were smiling from receptor to receptor astir your caller small babe boy, you had that large teddy carnivore for him. This is truthful heartbreaking,” Smith wrote connected Facebook.

Authorities said Riley’s woman told investigators helium was ne'er convulsive but had go progressively erratic. She said helium claimed to beryllium connected ngo from God, stockpiling supplies for Hurricane Ida victims including $1,000 worthy of cigars.

Riley’s conveyance had besides been stocked with bleeding power kits and different supplies for a gunfight, authorities said.

He worked arsenic a backstage information defender and had nary transgression history, the sheriff said.

Officers took Riley to jailhouse successful a achromatic jumpsuit aboriginal Sunday. He appeared downcast, hanging his caput and hardly opening his eyes, arsenic reporters asked wherefore helium killed the family.

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“This feline was a warfare hero. He fought for his country,” Judd said. Now, ”he’s a cold-blooded killer.”

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Associated Press newsman Kelli Kennedy contributed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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