Bradley Warren, age 13, was shot to death by his 14-year-old brother, Brandon Keith Warren. Brandon also shot and killed their 19-year-old stepsister Marnie Rose Warren and then shot himself. Both Bradley and Brandon were homeschooled, and Marnie and their older brother Ellis (age 21) had also been homeschooled. The mobile home where they lived was filled with garbage and animal droppings. Bradley and Brandon had been sleeping at a neighbor’s house for about two months as their parents, Nissa Mae Warren and Boyd Kent Warren, tried to clean up the house to prevent removal of the children by social services.

The Warrens had been convicted in 1991 of felony child abuse in Mesa, Arizona, where they lived until 1996. Nissa Mae believed strongly in corporal punishment and neighbors noticed bruises on Marnie’s legs. The Warrens were placed on probation and the children were not removed. The family subsequently moved to North Carolina. After their children’s murder-sucicide, the Warrens were arrested and charged with misdemeanor child abuse and improper storage of a gun.

Date: July 26, 2001
Location: Kenly, North Carolina