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A teenager from Florida began to jest about murdering his parents with his mates, before carrying out the horrific act in a prolonged violent frenzy that left him drenched in his parents' blood. At just 17 years old, Tyler Hadley locked the family dog in a cupboard and brutally murdered his parents with a hammer, before his father, Blake, asked his son one final, heartbreaking question: 'Why?'

Tyler's father worked as a nuclear power plant operator, while his mother, Mary Jo, was a teacher at the local school. Tyler also had a brother named Ryan. His aunts remembered Tyler as "cute" and an "adorable little boy," according to Crime and Investigation, adding that "he was constantly hugging his mum.", reports the .

During high school, Tyler stopped participating in sports and began experimenting with drugs, leading to erratic and worrying behaviour. His alcohol and drug use escalated, and he was known to the police before he was involved in a £15,000 civil suit after injuring a child while driving his father's car in June 2010.

In a last-ditch effort to help their son before he turned 18, Tyler's parents sent him to rehab, but the teenager was not pleased. His uncle stated: "That kid wanted his freedom, and he wanted to party... his parents were in the way, and he felt there was no way out."

The chilling tale unfolded as Tyler, in a macabre twist, confided his gruesome plan to a close mate. He harboured a grotesque ambition: to host a bash after slaughtering his own parents. On the fateful day, he ominously hinted at the event on Facebook with the post: "Party at my crib tonight... maybe."

In preparation, Tyler concealed his parents' mobiles and confined the family pet to a cupboard. After ingesting three ecstasy tablets, he seized a claw hammer. His mother was the first victim, blindsided while using her computer. His father's bewildered plea, "Why?" was met with Tyler's cold retort: "'Why the f*** not?" as he turned the hammer on him.

Afterwards, Tyler stashed their remains in the bedroom and set about erasing the blood that drenched the house and himself. He then summoned roughly 60 guests for a revelry, cunningly disguising the corpses. Throughout the festivities, Tyler brazenly admitted to several attendees that he had dispatched his parents, even revealing the cadavers to his best friend, Michael Mandell. Partygoers noted peculiar odours and glimpses of bloodstains.

It was only after the party concluded that Michael tipped off the authorities. Meanwhile, surveillance footage captured Tyler misusing his deceased parents' credit cards to procure booze and party essentials. Tyler was apprehended in the early hours following the incident. Prosecutors, citing his apparent lack of remorse, argued that his eagerness to host a house party took precedence over the value of his parents' lives.

Tyler entered a plea of no contest to two charges of first-degree murder and was initially handed down two life sentences without parole. However, in 2018, he received a new sentence of life imprisonment as an adult. In prison, Tyler continues to boast about his gruesome acts, often autographing items for other inmates with his self-styled moniker, 'Hammer Boy'.

A chilling discovery by prison guard D. Johnson revealed Tyler's continued fascination with hammers; on April 6, Johnson reported finding a homemade hammer-like weapon crafted by Tyler. The report detailed: "I discovered a homemade weapon fashioned from a piece of metal approximately 6 inches in length, sharpened to a point with a piece of cloth wrapped around one end to be used as a handle."

For this transgression, Tyler faced 60 days in disciplinary segregation, confined to a solitary cell with restricted privileges. Further infractions were recorded in state prison documents, including an additional 30-day confinement for missing his teaching assistant job 20 times without permission. Tyler displayed defiance during the disciplinary process, refusing to engage in hearings or acknowledge the violation notices, as per prison records.