A 16-year-old Cockeysville boy charged with killing his parents and two younger brothers will undergo a psychiatric evaluation within the next two weeks, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Wearing a light blue polo shirt and glasses with his dirty blond hair cut short, Nicholas Browning smiled meekly to family members who waved to him as he entered a Baltimore County Circuit Court room.
He did not speak. Afterward, family members also declined to comment.
Judge Thomas Bollinger ruled that nothing Browning says during the evaluation can be used against him in court. The judge denied a request from Browning?s attorneys to have a psychiatrist of their choosing present at the evaluation. Bollinger said the defense could have Browning evaluated after the state is finished.
“We are not alleging that Nick is not competent,” said William Brennan, one of Browning?s attorneys.
Another of Browning?s attorneys, Joshua Treem, said they are turning over all records they?ve obtained from the Baltimore County Public Schools about Browning to the psychiatrist.
“We are not aware of any previous mental health evaluation or treatment records,” Treem said.
Browning is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of illegal use of a handgun in commission of a violent crime.
John Browning, 45, his wife, Tamara, 44, and sons Gregory, 14, and Benjamin, 11, were found dead in their Cockeysville home around 5 p.m. Feb. 2 by Nicholas Browning as he returned from a friend?s house, police said.
Police said the honor student at Dulaney High School who was close to becoming an Eagle Scout executed his family ? one by one ? then dumped his father?s gun in nearby bushes and later confessed to the crime.
He faces up to life in prison. Another hearing is scheduled for June 4, when Browning?s attorneys will try to have him tried as a juvenile. His trial date is set for July 14.
Browning marked his 16th birthday behind bars in the Baltimore County Detention Center. He was 15 when police say he committed the slayings.
