Background: News footage of the home in Carrolltown, Pennsylvania, where two victims were stabbed to death on Sept. 29 (WJAC). Inset: News footage of Judah Courtney being escorted from court (WJAC).
A teenager in Pennsylvania is being charged as an adult after he allegedly admitted to police that he stabbed his parent and another woman to death.
Judah Courtney, 14, is behind bars in a Cambria County jail where he is being held without bond after being charged with two counts of criminal homicide. According to a criminal complaint obtained by local NBC affiliate WJAC, Judah Courtney allegedly stabbed his parent, 32-year-old Olivia Courtney, and a family friend, 38-year-old Ashley Cook, in the family home on Monday night and then ran outside.
Police said a neighbor spotted the teenager, who reportedly said that “someone had killed his “Dad and Aunt.'” Judah Courtney then allegedly admitted to the same neighbor that he had committed the crime.
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The neighbor called 911 to have a welfare check conducted at the teenager’s home, which he shared with Olivia Courtney and Cook after the family moved to Pennsylvania from Texas a few years ago. When Pennsylvania State Police troopers arrived at the scene, they found both of the adults deceased with multiple stab wounds to their heads and torsos. The affidavit stated that three different kinds of knives, all covered in blood, were recovered at the scene in a garbage can.
When police spoke to the neighbor who first encountered the teenager, she told them that he had said, “they’re going to think I did it.” Troopers also spoke with Judah Courtney upon their arrival and noted that he made a number of “questionable” statements. According to the affidavit, Judah Courtney told police that he had taken a shower before discovering the bodies of his parents.
As the troopers’ conversation with the teenager went on, Judah Courtney reportedly said, “I just can’t believe this happened!” He then allegedly admitted to committing the killings and said, “I did it!”
Police said that Judah Courtney also admitted to sending a Snapchat message to his girlfriend that said, “I killed my parents,” followed by a second comment, “JK,” — short for “just kidding.” He then told police that he sent her a Snapchat video in which he claimed that he found his parents dead and then panned to show their bodies on camera.
After police took Judah Courtney into custody, he allegedly confessed to the stabbings, saying it was his intention to kill the victims. He also described the three knives that were found at the scene.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees stated that there were signs of a struggle at the scene. An autopsy of both alleged victims was scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer also announced at the press conference that Judah Courtney would be tried as an adult. The teenager was charged with two counts of criminal homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, three misdemeanor counts of possession of an instrument of crime, and one misdemeanor count of tampering with evidence. He is in custody at the Cambria County Jail and was denied bail.
Judah Courtney’s next court date is Oct. 16.
