In January 2020, then 16-year-old high school student Colin Haynie murdered his family in cold blood. During the five-hour drama in their shared home, he waited for each member and executed them one by one. The court sentenced him to 25 years in prison for each murder for this brutal act, reports .
Colin Jeffrey “CJ” Haynie opened fire in the family home in the American city of Grantsville. According to prosecutor Scott Broadhead he killed his mother, three siblings and tried to kill his father as well. The teenager confessed to the crime after being taken into custody. It was the first murder in this quiet town in 20 years.
Consuelo Alejandra Haynie († 52) she picked up hers from school on that fateful day daughter Maylan († 12). He shot them both in the head, neck and upper body with a pistol as soon as they entered the house. CJ then waited in the house for an hour until Alexis († 15) returned from school. According to official reports, he shot her in the head and upper body sometime between 2:00 p.m. and 5:17 p.m. When he arrived home Matthew († 14), the boy killed his younger brother with a single shot to the head.
Father returned home around 6:15 p.m. The son shot him in the leg, but he began to struggle with him and wrested the gun from his hands. Colin told investigators that his intention was to kill everyone in the house except himself. He was tried as an adult in 2023. He pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder of his family members and one count of attempted murder of his father. He received a 25-year sentence for each murder, which will be served consecutively (100 years in total), while the sentence for the attempted murder of his father will run concurrently.
According to court documents, he was the motive for his actions is the feeling of growing social isolation, an argument with his father and unfulfilled expectations. He believed that killing his family was his only solution. Another brother, Danny, who was not at home at the time of the murders, also spoke at the funeral.
In his speech, he remembered his mother and siblings, but also dedicated words to his murderer brother: “He’s part of our family and we all love him. We want the best for him. Part of me feels like I’ve lost him too, but at least he’s still here,” he said. Father Colin, who survived the attack, decided to focus on the good memories. He is comforted by the idea that his three children are in heaven under the supervision of their self-sacrificing mother.
