14 Year Old Killer Thinks He_s Going Home

A 14-year-old boy sits in an interrogation room, convinced he is going home. Eldon Samuel III, accused of killing his father and brother, speaks with shocking detachment, asking about his mother, rubbing his face, and shifting his feet as he weaves a story of self-defense. He tells detectives his father was shot while trying to flee the home, but his account is full of holes. Detectives see a teenager who has not yet grasped the gravity of what he has done. When the weight of the moment finally lands, Eldon breaks down weeping for his mother—but the mask of innocence has already slipped, and his path home is gone forever.