Police in Spain have arrested a 15-year-old male in connection with the deaths of his parents and his 10-year-old brother, whose dead bodies he may have lived with for three days, according to local media.
Officers arrived at the property in the Algoda area of Elche in the Alicante province on Friday after the unnamed teenager reportedly confessed the killings to a neighbor who had asked about his parents' whereabouts, Diario Levante reported.
The newspaper reported that the teenager had allegedly used a shotgun to kill his family members during an argument over his school grades.
Citing sources close to the investigation, El Pais reported that one hypothesis being considered is that the dispute was sparked over the 15-year-old's punishment for failing five subjects at school in which his internet access at home had been taken away.
The teenager allegedly shot his mother, brother and then waited for his father to arrive, before targeting him in the chest.
As he lay bleeding, the father asked his son what he was doing prompting the teenager to reply because "he would not shut up," El Pais reported, still according to sources familiar with the investigation.
He then allegedly took the bodies to the house's shed. Local and national police officers as well as a team of psychologists, arrived at the scene which was cordoned off on Friday. Autopsies on the victims are scheduled to take place on Saturday.
The teenager has reportedly confessed to the crime in his statement, according to investigation sources who said that the suspect had displayed "unusual coldness, without expressing remorse" at any time.
The case has shocked the local community. "These are tragic and incomprehensible events in circumstances that shock the entire city," Elche Mayor Carlos González said, according to El Pais.
The mayor said his city would mark three days of mourning and he said he wanted to convey "all the love, solidarity and affection for the families of the victims."
Spanish media reported on Friday that the teenager would be taken to the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office where he would be assigned a defense attorney. He will be placed in a reform center for minors.
Diario Levante reported that the case follows one of the "hardest weeks in memory" for Elche after the bodies of a couple who had been murdered and buried were found in the Jubalcoy area of the city. Although the bodies have not been identified, they are believed to be a couple who went missing in April 2019.
