Teen charged in family deaths

BALTIMORE, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A Cockeysville, Md., 15-year-old has been charged with the shooting deaths of his parents and two younger brothers after police said he confessed to the crimes.

Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey said Nicholas Browning -- an honor student at Dulaney High School and a Boy Scout who is close to achieving his Eagle Scout rank -- has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder after he allegedly used a gun belonging to his father to kill his family, the Baltimore Sun reported Monday.

"He had some sort of disagreement with his father, and this is how he resolved it," Toohey said.

Toohey said Browning killed his father, John Browning, 45, with the gun and then killed his mother, Tamara Browning, 44, and his brothers Gregory, 13, and Benjamin, 11, while they slept in their beds.

Browning, who spent Friday night and Saturday with friends, confessed after police noticed inconsistencies in his statement, Toohey said.

Baltimore County District Judge Barbara Jung Monday ordered Browning held without bail.