Alabama teenager charged with murdering his family before going to school

Landon Durham was arrested near a grocery store the day after fatally stabbing his mother and brothers

(Talladega County Jail)

A teenage boy allegedly stabbed his mother and 13-year-old twin brothers to death before going to school as if it were a normal day.

Landon Durham, 16, is accused of killing his mother, Holli Christina Durham, 36, and brothers Branson and Baron Durham, at their home in Munford, Alabama.

Police believe the killings happened early on Tuesday morning, after which Landon attended classes at Munford High School.

The bodies were discovered late on Tuesday and a call went out to law enforcement agencies statewide to be on the lookout for the 16-year-old brother and son of the victims who was thought to have been armed with knives or a sword.

Durham was apprehended without incident at 7.40am on Wednesday morning at a grocery store approximately seven miles outside Gadsden, Alabama.

Under Alabama state law he is automatically charged as an adult for capital murder. As yet there is no indication of a motive.

If convicted, Durham faces a life sentence without parole. Alabama has the death penalty but only for those over the age of 18.

Speaking at a press conference, Steve Giddens, Talledega County District Attorney, said: “This is the kind of crime that you see on TV or the media or the Internet that happens in other places.

“To have it here, really hits home. Munford, like all communities in this county, is pretty close-knit, and I know they are hurting and we are too.

“It’s just hard to believe these kinds of things can happen.”