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What We Know About The 16-Year-Old Teen Accused Of Murdering His Parents, Sister And Friend On New Year’s Eve

The boy's grandfather and brother were not targeted and survived the shooting.

By Jaime Lutz

More information is coming out in the case of a 16-year-old New Jersey boy who allegedly killed his parents, sister, and a friend shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve in their family home, CBS News reported.

The boy’s name has not been revealed, because he is a minor, police said. However, prosecutors are considering trying the boy as an adult, CBS reported.

The teen, who allegedly used a semi-automatic rifle in the shootings that was legally registered to a member of the household, will be charged with four counts of murder and one count of possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni. The boy had no criminal history prior to the shootings, investigators said.

Police have not revealed a possible motive for the shootings, but they believe that the murder occurred less than twenty minutes before midnight. 

People who knew the family said that they couldn’t have predicted that the teen would turn violent. Joe Rios, a family friend, said the teenage suspect was "always smiling, not a violent kid or anything like that,” according to CBS New York.

The victims were identified as parents Steven Kologi, 44, and Linda Kologi, 42; sister Brittany Kologi, 18, pictured above; and family friend Mary Schultz, 70. The boy’s grandfather and brother survived the shootings—CBS News reported that they were not targeted.

"The Kologis were very caring, loving people and always looking to do fun things with their kids,"  said Walter Montelione, a relative, to CBS New York. "He was a good kid. He was, a little you know, slow with learning disabilities but he knows right from wrong."

The boy, who apparently had special needs, was cared for by his mother and didn’t go to the same school as his siblings, a neighbor said.

The boy will appear in court today via video conference, CBS New York reported.

A friend of the family has set up a GoFundMe campaign in order to raise money for funeral expenses.

[Image: GoFundMe]