A Florida teenager awaits trial on charges of first-degree murder after allegedly killing his parents with a hammer on July 16, 2011 and then throwing a party in his home. However, Tyler Hadley believes that he has “such a strong defense” and can escape a life sentence.
The 18-year-old pleaded not guilty to killing his parents, Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley.
In jailhouse letters obtained by prosecutors, Hadley has said that he hopes he can avoid prison altogether and be placed in a state hospital.”I’ll get out,” he wrote to a friend.
Hadley has written of his supposed depression in letters to family and friends. In a letter to his maternal grandparents last November, he wrote that he cries everyday and hopes for forgiveness. He also said that he feels bad about how his brother has been affected by the crime.
I know he misses our parents and I really miss them too. I feel remorse and guilt every day for what happened. I just hope the Hadleys and the rest of our family know the reason why everything happened. I don’t want people to think of me as a psycho.
Some letters contain evidence that may be used to prove Hadley’s insanity.
Hadley signs his jailhouse autographs with “It’s hammer time.” He also calls himself “Hammer Boy” and has said that he has seen and talked to the devil, according to a fellow inmate.
The fellow inmate, Justin Toney, revealed that Hadley is known as “Hambo” and “Bamm-Bamm” to other inmates and gives autographs on news articles about the case.
In an interview on February 21, Toney said that Hadley introduces himself as Hammer Boy to new inmates.
Toney also said that Hadley has offered different reasons for his crime. First, Hadley said that it was his medication that made him do it. He then changed his story, saying that he wanted to have a party and knew that his parents would not let him.
“All this to have a party?” Detective Kristin Meyer of the Port St. Lucie Police asked. “That’s what he said,” Toney replied.
Hadley has reportedly been contemplating the murders for three weeks and had considered using a garden tool instead of a hammer.
“He said he seen the devil,” Toney said. “He said he talked to the devil and the devil talked to him.”
However, Toney said that Hadley sometimes expressed remorse for the crimes. In a log of jailhouse visits with Hadley’s older brother Ryan, Hadley said that he loves his brother and to tell others that he loves them too.
Kelly Reynolds, who was interviewed by police but whose relationship to Hadley was not made clear, said he was an altar boy.
Hadley told his friend, Daniel Roberts, that his father was abusive and had punched him in the face several times. But, according to files, Toney said that Hadley told him he’d never been beaten or molested. In addition, Ryan Hadley said his parents were “awesome” and that his brother is a “pathological liar.”
After the murders, Hadley threw a party. He invited about 60 people via Facebook to his house for the party, where teenagers were playing beer pong, smoking marijuana, and drinking.
Friends at the party said that Hadley was in a good mood and was very hospitable.
Toney said Hadley claimed to have spent $2,000 on drugs and alcohol for the party, describing it as “so much fun.”
When Toney was asked about the attack, he said that Hadley’s parents did not try to stop their son.
I said, ‘Did they try to stop you?’ And he was like, ‘No, that’s how I knew that they really loved me.’
Elite.
