According to Cincinnati's WCPO and Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, "this was a cold, calculated plot." Police discovered drawings and journals that described the teen's plan to murder his parents, which he acted out at around 11:30 p.m. The suspect tied his parent's bedroom door shut, lit a fire outside of it, and then fled the scene in his father's car.
Perry Simon, the boy's father, escaped by jumping out of the bedroom's second story window. He broke both legs. His wife, Sharon Simon, was rescued by Liberty Township fire crews and deputies after suffering smoke inhalation.
The Simons thought that their son was still inside the house when help arrived, prompting a search by fire crews. The teen confessed when he was found, and failed to display any sign of remorse.
According to 19 Action News, the teen posted a status on Facebook around 7:15 p.m. the same day that read, "I'm so pissed at everything I'm boutta be wreckless." The 16-year-old is an honor student at Lakota West High School and didn't have a criminal record.
The teen has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated arson. Sheriff Jones announced at a news conference that he will be suggesting that the teen is tried as an adult.
