17-Year-Old Boy 'Covered In Blood' Confesses To Killing Parents: Police

A 17-year-old Iowa boy has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, Cedar Rapids police said.

Police responding to reports of a suspicious person found the teenager, identified as Ethan Orton, covered in blood sitting outside of a home on Carnaby Drive NE in Cedar Rapids Thursday, according to a statement from the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

Orton told officers that he killed his parents after cops checked if he was injured, police said. Two people were found dead inside the house when officers searched the home.

Orton is accused of using a knife and ax to kill his parents, 42-year-old Casey Arthur Orton and 41-year-old Misty Dawn Scott Slade.

Police said the boy told investigators during questioning that he stabbed his parents with a knife and then used an ax to kill his mother after it appeared she was still alive, KWWL reported, citing charging documents.

Orton told police he murdered his parents "to take charge of his life," the document said.

Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said the victims were found in the living room area just inside the home. The officer who found Orton sitting outside the residence described him as "being calm," the police chief added.

Orton was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, and a case has been filed in an adult court. The 17-year-old is now being held at the Linn County Detention Center, with his bond set at $2 million.

One neighbor named Jean Garrett told KWWL that she was "sick to my stomach" over the killings.

"You just don't think this kind of thing can happen, and you just don't think it can happen in your neighborhood," Garrett said. "And here it is in our neighborhood, and we have a nice neighborhood. It's just really hard to process. I still remember her laughing and joking with me a couple weeks ago."

Another neighbor told the outlet that the family has an older daughter who graduated and moved out.

The incident came just months after 20-year-old college student Alex Jackson was charged with killing his parents and younger sister in Cedar Rapids in June.

Jackson initially claimed that an intruder broke into their home and shot him and his dad.

Jan Jackson, 61, Melissa Jackson, 68, and Sabrina Jackson, 19, were found dead from gunshot wounds in different rooms of the home.

Police also found Jackson with a gunshot wound on his foot and recovered a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle that is believed to have been the firearm used in the shootings.

No signs of forced entry or burglary were found at the home, according to the complaint. Jackson denied shooting his family members but admitted that his father had recently told him he needed to find a job or move out of the home, the complaint said.