Nicholas Browning

Parties and roles

• Nicholas W. Browning — 15-year-old boy charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder; the son who was charged in the shooting deaths of his parents and two younger brothers.
• John W. Browning (45) — father; one of the shooting death victims.
• Tamara Browning (44) — mother; one of the shooting death victims.
• Gregory Browning (13) — brother; one of the shooting death victims.
• Benjamin Browning (11) — brother; one of the shooting death victims.
• Bill Toohey — Baltimore County Police spokesman.
• Scott Shellenberger — Baltimore County State’s Attorney.
• Thomas J. Bollinger — Baltimore County Circuit Judge who sentenced Nicholas Browning.
• Leo Ryan Jr. — assistant state's attorney.
• S. Ann Brobst — assistant state's attorney.
• Luke Broadwater — journalist.
• Stephen Janis — journalist.
• Kasey Jones — journalist.
• Ben Nuckols — journalist.
• Steve Silverman — Nicholas Browning’s former attorney.
• Cynthia Warnecki and Mark Warnecki — appointed as Nicholas Browning’s guardians.
• John Lockwood — Dulaney High classmate who described statements he said he heard from Nicholas Browning.
• Brooke Kebaugh (16) — schoolmate who reacted after learning Nicholas Browning was charged.
• Liz Lazlawbach (17) — schoolmate who said Nicholas Browning complained about fighting with his father.
• Shana Cayle (17) — student who said Nicholas Browning appeared normal at school.
• John Kenneally — lacrosse coach who urged people not to jump to conclusions.
• Margaret — the boys’ grandmother who served on Howard County’s Republican Central Committee.
• Matt Stover — Baltimore Ravens kicker.
• Mike Thomas and his son — resident who spoke about prior involvement in scouting.
• Harold Waggoner — Browning’s maternal grandfather who wrote that he believed Nicholas Browning was abused by his parents.
• Stephanie — a friend named in the prosecution’s presentation of a phone call.

Timeline

• Friday, February 1, 2008 — Nicholas Browning went into the house after other family members were asleep and shot his father, John W. Browning, 45; his mother, Tamara, 44; and his brothers Gregory, 13, and Benjamin, 11, using one of his father’s guns that was in the house.
• Saturday (following Friday night), February 2, 2008 — Friends took Nicholas Browning home at 5 p.m.; he went inside and then went back out to say his father was dead; he called 911 and officers responded.
• Sunday, February 3, 2008 (1:05 a.m.) — Nicholas W. Browning was formally arrested after he admitted to the killings.
• Sunday, February 3, 2008 — He was denied bail at a hearing; he was held in a special section for juveniles at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson.
• Monday, February 4, 2008 — A police spokesman said the gun had been recovered; the bail would be reviewed in Towson in District Court; Nicholas Browning was discussed in reporting about the killings.
• Monday, February 11, 2008 — Nicholas Browning was described as having joked about killing his parents before the deaths, as reported by students.
• Monday, February 12, 2008 — A Baltimore County grand jury indicted 16-year-old Nicholas Browning on eight counts: four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of illegal use of a handgun in commission of a violent crime.
• Friday, January 2009 — Baltimore County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Bollinger sentenced Nicholas Browning to serve two of the life terms consecutively (with possible eligibility for parole in 23 years with good behavior).

Background

Nicholas W. Browning was a 15-year-old boy who was a sophomore at Dulaney High School in Timonium. He was described as an honors student and as working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. He led scouting activities for his Boy Scout troop and built a prayer garden at his church as part of requirements. The family hosted meetings for scouts’ parents at their home, and John Browning had been a scoutmaster and church leader. John Browning practiced law with the Towson firm Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid and worked in Baltimore County’s oldest law firm for nearly 20 years. Tamara Browning was described as a PTA president.

Police said Nicholas W. Browning had not been getting along with his father.

During reporting before sentencing, students and acquaintances described conflicting views of Nicholas Browning, including claims that he was bullied by his father and claims that he bullied younger boys on a bus and spoke about killing his parents. A lacrosse coach said he coached Nick and urged people not to believe accusations before confirmation.

The offence

Nicholas W. Browning was charged with the shooting deaths of his parents and his two younger brothers. Police said that on Friday night he went into the house after other family members were asleep and shot each of them using one of his father’s guns that was in the house.

Police said that after the slayings Nicholas Browning threw the handgun into bushes near his house and then spent Friday night and Saturday with friends. When friends took him home at 5 p.m. Saturday, he went inside and then went back out to say his father was dead and called 911.

Officers found John Browning dead in a ground-floor room, and Tamara Browning and both brothers dead in upstairs bedrooms. Police said there were no signs of confrontation in the house.

Charging documents described the 911 call as reporting that a 45-year-old male was lying on the couch with blood coming out of his nose and that he was not breathing. The charging documents also stated that Nicholas Browning confessed early Sunday.

Investigation

Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey said there had been no motive established and there had not been a similar incident in the area since 1995, when a man killed his wife and three children before killing himself.

Luke Broadwater reporting also stated that, despite a confession, police said they still had no motive for why Nicholas Browning allegedly killed his parents and two brothers. Bill Toohey said: “We have no explanation for it,” and added: “We have not established a motive.” Toohey also said: “he did not have a confrontation with his dad that night,” and “There was something boiling up inside this boy.”

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said Wednesday that the teen gave a taped statement to detectives that could shed light on his motivations.

In reporting about the case, prosecutors showed clips from Nicholas Browning’s videotaped interview with police the day after he killed his family, including an account of going to a friend’s house to play video games and predicting that a jury would believe his story that burglars were responsible for the killings.

During the sentencing-related reporting, a prosecutor said that money was the motive for the slayings, and that abuse would not explain why Nicholas Browning also killed his brothers. In his interview, Nicholas Browning was described as confessing and being asked why he killed his brothers, with him saying: “I thought if no one was there to say anything that my story would go, because I was the only one.”

Arrest and detention

Bill Toohey said that Nicholas Browning was formally arrested at 1:05 a.m. Sunday after he admitted to the killings. He was denied bail Sunday morning at a hearing.

He was held at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson in a special section for juveniles. It was unclear whether he had an attorney at the times described.

Trial

No trial date had been set at the time of the indictment reporting.

Sentencing

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Bollinger sentenced 16-year-old Nicholas Browning in January 2009. He was sentenced to four life terms and was ordered to serve two of the life terms consecutively. This consecutive structure meant he could be eligible for parole in 23 years with good behavior.

Reporting described that Nicholas Browning was too overcome by emotion to read a statement of apology, and his attorney read it instead. The statement included: “I so badly want to take away your pain.”

A prosecutor, assistant state's attorney Leo Ryan Jr., played a phone call of a conversation Wednesday between Nicholas Browning and a friend named Stephanie, in which Nicholas Browning said: “I hate justice,” and “You need to break in here and break me out.” In the phone call, he also asked if she heard about a convicted killer who recently escaped from a Maryland prison and said: “I’d be him sometime next year.” Leo Ryan Jr. said: “These are hardly the words of someone wracked with guilt and remorse,” and “These are the words of a dangerous killer.”

Prosecutors bristled at the way the defense portrayed Nicholas Browning’s parents. After sentencing, assistant state's attorney S. Ann Brobst said: “They can't stick up for themselves,” and “Everyone has been murdered except the one person who stands to gain by making the claims that were made in court today.”

Defense attorneys had asked Judge Bollinger to allow Nicholas Browning to serve all of his life terms at the same time, meaning he would be eligible for parole earlier. Prosecutors asked for consecutive life sentences.

Judge Bollinger recommended committing Nicholas Browning to the Patuxent Institution, described as a maximum-security psychiatric facility with a program for youthful offenders. Bollinger said: “The question of whether his actions were just diabolically evil,” and added: “is up to almighty God.”

Appeals

No appeals were described in the provided material.

Other details

Indictment

A Baltimore County grand jury indicted 16-year-old Nicholas Browning on Monday. The eight-count indictment charged him with:

• four counts of first-degree murder
• four counts of illegal use of a handgun in commission of a violent crime

The statement from Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said: “At this time there are no additional suspects and no additional indictments are anticipated.”

Bail and guardians

Baltimore County appointed Cynthia and Mark Warnecki, of Sterling, Va., as Nicholas Browning’s guardians. The county said the guardians hired an attorney for Nicholas Browning, but no lawyer entered an appearance in the case Tuesday.

Reports of what occurred around the deaths

Reporting stated that friends said they were shocked, that someone hung a small, silver-colored crucifix on the mailbox, and that officers found the victims in ground-floor and upstairs bedrooms.

One resident, Mike Thomas, said one of his sons had been in scouts with one of the Brownings’ sons. Thomas said the Brownings would go out of their way to help others and that he had recently sold John Browning a trailer planned for Boy Scout outings. Police said the trailer was parked in the family’s driveway on Sunday.

Descriptions of statements and conduct before the killings

Students described that Nicholas Browning talked about killing his parents and about his father’s money. One middle schooler was quoted as saying: “He talked about how rich his father was, how he wanted some of that money,” and “He didn’t like his father because he used to always yell at him and stuff.” Another student described that Nicholas Browning “picked on his younger brothers on the bus — and would punch Gregory, 14, when he wouldn’t listen.” One of the students said: “We thought he was weird,” and “He was really mean.”

A student, Shana Cayle (17), was described as saying Browning appeared completely normal at school.

A student quote attributed in reporting included an internet message from John Lockwood, who said: “He often complained about his father, and I specifically remember him saying he would kill his family one day in a joking manner,” and later: “another side to him away from school where he would beat up his younger brothers really badly, steal from his dad’s liquor cabinet, and steal their car without a permit or license.” Lockwood also said: “He got away with everything and thought he ran the world,” and “He mocked minorities and people with disabilities.”

Conflicting accounts of motive and abuse

Investigators said there was no established motive during early reporting. Reporting also included descriptions that prosecutors argued money as motive, while defense attorneys argued abuse and claimed that Nicholas Browning was abused and traumatized.

Harold Waggoner wrote: “I have no doubt that Nick was mentally and physically abused for most of his life and that Tammy chose to become an enabler during the last few years of her life.” In the statement read by Nicholas Browning’s attorney, Nicholas Browning said: “My home life had become much more toxic to myself than I ever thought possible.”

Funerals, vigil, and community reactions

Friends and family held a candlelight vigil on Sunday evening. A prayer service for the Brownings had been scheduled for 6:30 Wednesday night at Church of the Nativity on Ridgley Road in Timonium.

At the vigil, Matt Stover said: “I’m going to challenge everybody here tonight to forgive Nick,” and added: “I don’t know why Nick did that, and it puts chills down my spine.”

Family members expressed support for Nicholas in a statement released after a funeral. The statement said: “Our concern and love goes out to Nick,” and “Whatever else lies ahead, he is a member of our family and he will have our support.”

Statements about the victims

Relatives and community members described John Browning and Tamara Browning in positive terms. A statement from John Browning’s law partners included: “John was a wonderful man. He and his wife, Tammy, were very much in love. Together they were caring and loving parents to their children.” It also said: “John was also a man of much faith. And he so much enjoyed the outdoors.”

A pastor, Rev. Frances Dailey, was quoted as saying: “John Browning, was "beloved and well-revered. I'm told this is not the kind of family that this could happen to,"”

At the vigil, a statement credited to Browning’s family included that they described the Brownings as an “all-American family” (as characterized in reporting).