Tyler Hadley

Case details

Tyler Hadley was convicted of killing his parents, Mary Jo Hadley and Blake Hadley, in July 2011 when he was 17. He then hosted a party with their bodies remaining inside the house.

Timeline

• July 16, 2011 — Tyler Hadley beat his parents to death with a hammer, then spent three hours cleaning up the blood before hosting a party; friends later described their bodies as lying in their bedroom.
• February — Tyler Hadley pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree murder.
• April 10 — Tyler Hadley got into a fight at a friend's house and was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.
• June 2011 — Tyler Hadley returned home drunk from a night out where he urinated on a friends bed; Mary Jo Hadley had him sectioned at a mental health clinic.
• March 21, 2014 — Judge Robert R. Makemson sentenced Tyler Hadley to life in prison without parole.
• December 18, 2013 — Nathaniel Rich published “The shocking story of a troubled Florida teen, his wild house party and two grisly murders.”
• December 19, 2013 — James Nye published additional Facebook-message detail in a DailyMail piece.
• March 21, 2014 — CBSNews.com reported on the sentencing.

The offence

Tyler Hadley killed Mary Jo Hadley and Blake Hadley. During the incident described, Hadley used a claw hammer to strike Mary Jo Hadley’s head, then beat Blake Hadley to death with the claw end of the hammer.

He had hidden his parents’ cell phones so they could not call for help. Authorities said he took three ecstasy tablets because he worried he could not kill his parents while “sober.”

After the killings, authorities said Hadley cleaned up for three hours. Prosecutors said the cleanup took longer than Hadley anticipated. Authorities said Hadley buried the corpses beneath a pile of broken dishes, shattered glass, bloody towels and pillowcases, books, a coffee table, a sponge mop, Clorox wipes and a canister of coffee grounds.

Authorities said Hadley kept the bodies locked in the bedroom all night and then threw a party while their bodies remained inside the house.

Background

Tyler Hadley was described as being in a juvenile status at the time of the murders.

There was evidence seized from the home that hinted at mental problems for the defendant, including a receipt for a mental health center and a bottle of an antidepressant medication. Authorities also said that the death penalty was not a sentencing option under law due to Hadley’s age at the time of the deaths.

Friends and other accounts described various mental health and depression history for Hadley. Mary Jo Hadley suffered from depression and worried her son might suffer from it as well. Hadley had received counseling for depression in the past, as well as for an eating disorder and poor self-esteem. Mary Jo had Tyler take injections of human growth hormone during his early adolescence because she thought it might boost his confidence and because she did not want him teased in school for being short and chubby.

In April, 10 weeks before his party, Tyler got into a fight at a friend's house and was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery. Because he had a juvenile record from a previous burglary conviction, he spent a week at St. Lucie County Jail and then two weeks under house arrest. Mary Jo confiscated his cell phone, forcing him to rely on Facebook to communicate with his friends during home arrest. In a Facebook conversation Tyler told Isadora Gascho that his mother had his cell phone because “I got arrested on Monday and shes flippin s***..i just got out today.”

Investigation

On the night of the party, the word of the killings eventually made its way around the party. A friend tipped off police, leading to Hadley’s arrest early the next morning.

Michael Mandell called the Crimestoppers hotline and told them everything. Officers were dispatched to 371 NE Granduer Avenue at 4:32 a.m. There were three cars in front of the house: a cream-colored Lincoln, a black Toyota Tacoma truck, and a red Ford Expedition. The officers ran the plates; the first car was registered to Tyler Hadley and the other two were registered to his parents.

As the officers walked up the driveway, they heard someone talking inside the house. Officer Greene saw through the front bay window the shadow of a person walking back and forth. Greene wrote in his police report that Tyler was pacing across the living room, talking to himself, with “a very disturbing look on his face,” and that his eyes were very wide and he was not blinking. Tyler grabbed a stack of books and dumped them on the floor in a frantic manner multiple times.

When the officers rang the bell, there was no answer. Greene could see Hadley through the window walking away from the door. The rest of the lights went off. Hadley opened the door wearing a black shirt and black shorts and hid his left hand behind his back. Officer Zamoyski drew his gun, ordered Hadley to put up his hands and step out, then checked him for weapons, ordered him to the ground and handcuffed him. Tyler told Officer Greene that he knew he was going to Rock Road, referring to the address of the St. Lucie County Jail.

Arrest

Tyler Hadley was arrested early the next morning following the tip and the Crimestoppers call.

Officers entered the house. Tyler shouted not to go in there, and officers proceeded to check the premises. The kitchen and counters contained empty beer bottles and red plastic Solo cups, and the master bedroom door was locked. The officers noticed streaks of dried blood on the frame and baseboards and forced the knob; the door opened.

Officers found a black Labrador locked inside a closet.

Trial

Tyler Hadley pleaded no contest in February to two counts of first-degree murder.

Judge Robert R. Makemson in St. Lucie County imposed two life sentences, calling the crime brutal, heinous and premeditated.

The judge accused Hadley of manipulating experts and lying about hearing voices.

Hadley’s attorney argued for two 30-year sentences, to be served concurrently, with a review after 20 years.

Sentencing

On March 21, 2014, Judge Robert R. Makemson sentenced Tyler Hadley to life in prison without parole for the two first-degree murder counts.

Authorities said the death penalty was not a sentencing option under law due to Hadley’s age at the time of the deaths.

Outcome

Tyler Hadley was sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 21, 2014.

Aftermath

At the party after the killings, authorities said about 60 people gathered at the family's Fort Pierce home. People played beer pong, smoked cigars and drank. Friends described Hadley as being in a good mood and hospitable during the party. A friend said Hadley had planned to hold a second bash the following night.

Friends described the bedroom bodies later found lying in their bedroom.

At a funeral attended by nearly a thousand people, two coffins were placed in front of the altar. Mary Jo Hadley was described as a committed Catholic who served as a lector at the St. Lucie Catholic Church and taught the Rite of Christian Initiation to converts.

Other details

Parties, drugs, and communications

Authorities said Hadley stopped at an ATM and then picked up some friends en route to the party, flashing about $5,000 in cash.

During the home arrest and while communicating over Facebook, Tyler told Isadora Gascho:

• “dont text me about drugs”
• “my mom has it because I got arrested on Monday and shes flippin s***..i just got out today.”
• “F*N S SUCCKKKKEEEDD”
• “Just kidding…its a pirates life for me”
• “ok im done with all the nautical nonsense”

Tyler also told Isadora Gascho:

• “nothing, considering suicide”
• “ummm…because i wanna die i guess?”
• “what other reasons are there?”
• “yes”
• “…I do wanna die sometimes”
• “I used to, now I drink alot when im depressed”
• “IT FILLS THE EMPTINESS INSIDE ME”
• “yes but all my smiles are fake”

On the day of the party, Tyler posted on Facebook:

• “party at my crib tonight…maybe”
• “party at my house hmu” He also replied to a friend’s question about whether the party would be stopped if parents came home:
• “they won't, trust me.”

In a Facebook chat with Mercedes Marko on July 2, 2011, Tyler wrote:

• “lol yup shes a c*** fa sho i might kill her”

When asked by Markey Phillips, Tyler told him he wanted to kill his parents and have a big party after.

Witness accounts and jail statements

A fellow inmate who shared a cell with Hadley told investigators that Hadley was known as “hammer boy” and “Bamm-Bamm” by other prisoners. The inmate said Hadley signed jailhouse autographs and gave autographs, including some on news articles about his case.

Justin Toney was quoted describing Hadley’s introduction:

• “What's up man?”
• “You know who I am? I'm the hammer boy.”

A letter from jail to Tyler’s grandparents included:

• “I know everyone thinks I'm a psychopath”
• “but ‘I really am sorry for everything’”
• “I feel like Ryan doesn't love me anymore but I know he does and he's just going through a rough time…It's so hard going through this. I'm scared and I feel so alone…”
• “I wish I never started taking that damn pill”
• “None of this would ever of happened.”

A letter to a friend included:

• “I regret everything I did. I swear it's those drugs man.”

Chief assistant state attorney Tom Bakkedahl said:

• “Our focus is on punishment, not rehabilitation.”

Tyler wrote in a letter to a friend:

• “When this shit went down it went world wide”
• “I was the 2nd most popular story after the economy.” He also expressed that he was “hammer time” and described conversations with “the devil” in his letters.