Teen K.i.l.l.ers: Inside the Most Disturbing Cases of Youth Violence in America

In courtrooms across America, a disturbing pattern has emerged with increasing visibility: children—some barely old enough to drive, some not yet teenagers—committing acts of violence so brutal, so calculated, and so emotionally detached that even veteran prosecutors struggle to describe them without trembling.

Historically, youth violence has often been linked to impulsivity, trauma, or a moment of reckless poor judgment. But in a series of cases that span multiple states and more than a decade, investigators are confronting a new, chilling phenomenon: juveniles who kill with the cruelty, intentionality, and forensic awareness traditionally associated with adult serial offenders.

The stories that follow are not connected by geography, race, or socioeconomic status. Instead, they are linked through something far more haunting—a collapse of empathy in children who often appear outwardly typical until the moment they cross into unthinkable violence.

This long-form investigation explores some of the most shocking teenage crimes in recent American history, examining not only what happened, but also what these cases reveal about mental health, justice, and the limits of rehabilitation.

The Case of Carly Madison Greg: A Murder Caught on Camera

On March 19, 2024, in a quiet Mississippi home, 15-year-old Carly Madison Greg shot her mother, 40-year-old schoolteacher Ashley Smiley, three times at point-blank range. The killing wasn’t impulsive. It wasn’t unclear. It wasn’t even hidden.

The entire crime was captured on home security footage.

Earlier that day, Ashley had discovered vape cartridges in Carly’s room and confronted her. Furious and determined not to lose control of the household, she searched for more contraband—never imagining her daughter was retrieving a .357 Magnum from under the mattress in the next room.

According to prosecutors, Carly peeked around the kitchen doorway to be sure her mother wasn’t watching, then marched down the hall with the gun hidden behind her back. Seconds later, Ashley fell to the floor in her daughter’s bedroom.

As Ashley lay dying, Carly texted a friend to “come over and check out what she did,” then used her mother’s phone to lure her stepfather home under the pretense of an emergency. When Heath Smiley walked through the door, Carly met him with another round of bullets. He survived only because he managed to wrestle the gun from her hands and crawl outside to call 911.

In the call, recorded between sobs, Heath gasped: “She killed her mom… she tried to kill me.”

During trial, prosecutors emphasized Carly’s calm demeanor, planning, and post-crime behavior. “I put three in my mom,” she allegedly said afterward. “And I had three more waiting for my stepdad.”

The defense argued insanity. Psychologists testified about her possible dissociation, suppressed trauma, and untreated mental health disorders. But jurors needed only a few hours to convict her of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life without parole.

Carly Greg is one of the youngest girls in Mississippi’s history to receive such a sentence.

The Medina Horror: Gavin Ramsay and the Killing of a 98-Year-Old Woman

What prosecutors described next can only be described as a descent into psychopathy.

On April 6, 2018, 17-year-old Gavin Ramsay broke into the home of his 98-year-old neighbor, Margaret Douglas, in Medina, Ohio. He strangled her, violated her body, performed disturbing acts with jelly, photographed the scene, and stuffed her corpse into a closet.

Then he simply walked home.

For three days, newspapers piled on Margaret’s porch until worried relatives called police. Inside her house, investigators found bruises, blood, disarray—and, critically, a plastic glove left by the door.

When DNA on the glove didn’t match any family members, officers widened their search. Soon after, a petty criminal named Zachary was arrested for an unrelated carjacking and casually mentioned that “Gavin” had helped him. Police traced the clue to Ramsay.

During initial questioning, Ramsay denied involvement. But then officers examined his phone.

There they found the images—videos, photos, recordings—documenting the attack from beginning to end. When confronted, Ramsay described the murder as if he were recounting a video game:

“It was like the biggest rush,” he said in his confession. “I didn’t even know if I was going to go in. But then I did. After I realized, it was too late. I couldn’t stop.”

In court, Margaret’s relatives wept as they described her life: a beloved aunt who still gardened at 98, who planned to live to 100, who died at the hands of a boy young enough to be her great-grandchild.

Ramsay’s mother, hysterical and guilt-stricken, insisted her son was compassionate. “This is not who my son is,” she told the judge.

But the judge disagreed. Ramsay was sentenced to life without parole.

The New Hampshire Machete Murders: Christopher Gribble’s Chilling Indifference

Perhaps the most disturbing teenager to face American courts in recent years is Christopher Gribble—a baby-faced 19-year-old whose monotone voice and eerie smile shook seasoned prosecutors.

On October 4, 2009, Gribble and three accomplices invaded the home of Kimberly Gates, a nurse and mother, and attacked her and her 11-year-old daughter with machetes while they slept. Their motive?

“For fun,” according to testimony.

Kimberly died on the floor next to her daughter. Miraculously, young Jamie survived long enough to call 911.

At trial, Gribble leaned back in his seat, almost amused, as prosecutors replayed the frantic emergency call. He showed no remorse. No fear. At times, he even seemed proud.

“I’m a dangerous guy,” he said under oath. “They don’t realize who they’re messing with.”

When asked when he believed he was legally insane, he answered:
“Technically? Now. But it’s my defense.”

He described the killing as if narrating an episode of CSI:
“Blood everywhere. Looked just like on TV.”

Psychologists testified that while Gribble had mental disturbances, they did not rise to the level of legal insanity. The jury convicted him within days. The judge, trembling with anger, told him:

“Infinity is not enough prison time for you.”

Gribble will likely die behind bars.

The Crime Scene Collector: The Case of Brian Cohee

In Colorado, 19-year-old Brian Cohee murdered 69-year-old Warren Barnes, stabbed him repeatedly, dismembered him, and brought parts of the body home like trophies.

His mother discovered a human head wrapped in a plastic bag on his bedroom floor.

During interrogation, Cohee reenacted the murder with an unsettling calm, pantomiming how he straddled the elderly man and stabbed him.

“It was surprisingly easy,” he said cheerfully. “I thought he’d be tough.”

Cohee’s obsession with death had long been brushed off as dark curiosity. His family believed he was preparing for a career in crime-scene work.

He told detectives that killing “felt like a rush,” and admitted he had long fantasized about it.

His mother, devastated, begged the judge for mercy but also apologized to the victim’s family. Cohee was sentenced to life without parole.

When Mental Instability Meets Violence: Brendan Depa’s Brutal School Attack

On February 21, 2024, in Florida, 17-year-old special-needs student Brendan Depa attacked a teacher’s aide, Joan N., after she confiscated his Nintendo Switch. The attack was caught on school surveillance footage: Depa, nearly 6 foot 7 and over 270 pounds, punched, kicked, stomped, and repeatedly beat the unconscious woman.

It took four adults to pull him off.

Joan suffered a severe concussion, hearing loss, and five broken ribs.

Depa’s mother begged the court to send him home rather than to prison, arguing that his autism and ADHD contributed to his violence. But the judge disagreed, citing Depa’s long history of violent outbursts.

Depa was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 15 years of probation.

Killing a Cop: The Jonathan Belton Case

In 2008, 16-year-old Jonathan Belton shot and killed Michigan police officer Mason Samborski during a traffic stop. Belton lured the officer into an apartment stairwell, pulled a gun, and shot him in the head.

At trial, Belton showed little remorse. His girlfriend testified about the shooting, describing how Belton stood over the dying officer with a gun in his hand.

The courtroom erupted when one man shouted at Belton, “It is over!”

The jury returned a swift guilty verdict. Belton was sentenced to life without parole.

The Maplewood Triple Murder: Russell Burell’s Rampage

Only 16 years old, Russell Burell shot and killed three people during a dispute in a Rhode Island housing complex in 2012—including a 2-year-old baby.

The grandmother of one of the victims addressed him in court:

“You murdered three precious souls. For what?”

Burell received multiple life sentences.

The Child Prostitute Case That Changed Tennessee Law: Cyntoia Brown

Not all juvenile cases fit neatly into the category of “evil.” Some force the legal system to confront its own failures.

At age 16, Cyntoia Brown shot and killed 43-year-old Johnny Allen. Brown said she feared he was reaching for a gun. Prosecutors argued robbery was the motive.

Later investigations revealed Brown had been trafficked by a violent pimp named “Cutthroat” and had been sexually abused repeatedly.

Brown received life in prison with parole after 51 years—effectively a death sentence.

Her case ignited national outrage and advocacy campaigns. After years of public pressure, Tennessee’s governor granted her clemency. She walked free in 2019 after 15 years behind bars.

Murder for Curiosity: Dakota White and the Killing of Sam Poss

In Georgia, 17-year-old Dakota White and friend Brandon Warren lured 18-year-old Sam Poss into a house and murdered him solely “to see what it felt like.”

Poss’s mother sobbed as she addressed the killers:

“You strangled and stabbed my son for your curiosity. You should never walk free again.”

White apologized but showed no explanation for his motive.

He was sentenced to life without parole.

The Most Troubling Case: 12-Year-Old Cristian Fernandez

On March 14, 2011, Jacksonville police interrogated Cristian Fernandez, a 12-year-old boy accused of fatally assaulting his 2-year-old brother. Cristian initially claimed he accidentally dropped books on the toddler. Eventually, he admitted he pushed the child into a bookshelf—twice—during a moment of rage triggered by memories of abuse by his stepfather.

Cristian’s mother waited eight hours before taking the unconscious child to the hospital. She was charged with manslaughter.

Cristian received a juvenile sentence of seven years and was released at age 19. His case sparked a national debate about whether a 12-year-old can truly understand the consequences of a homicide.

The Murder of Elizabeth Olten: Alyssa Bustamante, Age 15

Few cases shook the nation like that of Alyssa Bustamante, a 15-year-old who murdered 9-year-old neighbor Elizabeth Olten in 2009.

Bustamante dug a grave days before the killing, lured Elizabeth into the woods, strangled her, cut her throat, and stabbed her repeatedly. She then went to church.

Her journal later revealed chilling entries:

“I strangled them and slit their throat. It was amazing.”

Bustamante pled guilty to avoid a mandatory life sentence without parole. She was sentenced to life with parole after 35 years.

Road Rage Murder: The Eric Nowsch Case

In Las Vegas, 19-year-old Eric Nowsch shot and killed mother of four Tammy Meyers during a road rage incident. In interrogation, he admitted:

“I had my arm out the window shooting everywhere.”

In court, Tammy’s husband told him:

“I hope you burn in hell. You are an animal.”

Nowsch received life with the possibility of parole after 10 years, plus weapon enhancements.

The Death of Jada: The Samuel Gizaw Case

In Washington, 16-year-old Samuel Gizaw fired a gun during a fight and accidentally killed 13-year-old Jada. At his bail hearing, her mother wept:

“Today should have been her first day of eighth grade.”

After Gizaw’s social media posts with guns surfaced, his bail was increased to $2 million. His case is ongoing.

Is Rehabilitation Possible?

These cases provoke the hardest question in juvenile justice:

Are some kids simply beyond saving?

Experts remain divided.

Some argue that adolescent brains are malleable, capable of profound change. Others point to the meticulous planning, cruelty, and emotional detachment seen in these crimes as evidence of entrenched psychopathy.

Several prosecutors interviewed for this story believe a small percentage of youth offenders—those who torture, mutilate, sexually abuse, and kill without remorse—may never be safe for release.

Defense attorneys push back, insisting that trauma, neglect, and undiagnosed mental illness lie at the heart of many of these crimes.

But judges, whose responsibility is to protect the public, often take a harsher view.

As one Florida judge told a teen killer:

“Your rehabilitation cannot be gambled with the safety of the community.”

A Final Thought: What These Cases Reveal

These stories force us to confront painful truths:

America’s mental health system is failing children long before they commit violence.

Many of these teenagers lived in homes where abuse, neglect, or instability went ignored.

Access to firearms remains frighteningly easy for kids.

And some children—however rare—exhibit patterns of cruelty that defy conventional explanations.

The justice system was not designed to handle 12-, 14-, and 17-year-olds who kill with adult-level brutality. Yet the courts are increasingly forced to decide: Who deserves a second chance? And who is too dangerous to ever walk free?

These answers are never simple. But for the victims’ families, the grief is eternal—and the consequences irreversible.

Youth violence leaves no winners. Only questions that linger long after the courtroom doors close.