COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A family made their first appearance at the Columbia County Courthouse Wednesday morning after police say a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed by his teenage sister.
Deputies said two sisters planned and carried out the murder of their older brother. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office said 15-year-old Misty "Ariel" Renee Kornegay admitted to shooting her brother, Damien Kornegay, while he slept Monday night and that her 11-year-old sister, Nicole, helped.
The parents, Misty and Keith Kornegay, were out of town during the incident and were been arrested on suspicion of neglect. According to Sheriff Mark Hunter, the charges stem from living conditions in the home, as Ariel had been locked in her room previously with just a blanket and a bucket to use the bathroom.
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The parents made their first appearance at 7:30 a.m. The parents are held on $20,000 bond and are not allowed to have contact with their children without supervision with Department of Children and Families.
The sisters had their their first appearance at 10 a.m., which was held behind closed doors in judge's chambers. The two sisters are being housed separately in the juvenile facility so investigators can question them.
Nicole and Ariel will be detained for 30 days, one is in Ocala and one is in Gainesville. At this time, authorities have not decided whether to charge the girls as adults. The State Attorney's Office has 30 days to make that decision.
Officers with the White Springs Police Department first made contact with the child suspects at a store about 3 miles from their home. In the police report, officers describe Ariel Kornegay as being emotionless and applying make-up, claiming their parents kicked them out. Later, the report said she confessed to the murder of Damien Kornegay.
Ariel Kornegay told officers her brother had beaten her and locked her in her bedroom. Later while he slept, Nicole Kornegay unlocked the door while Ariel Kornegay found a gun in the parents' bedroom and shot him, the CCSO said.
Hunter said the gun was secured in the house and unloaded and after Nicole let Ariel out of the bedroom, Ariel got the gun and loaded it.
The two teen girls then walked the streets, leaving their 3-year-old sister in the home. The police said the toddler did not witness the shooting, and is with DCF.
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