Two sisters in Florida were arrested on Tuesday after allegedly killing their brother in their home sometime before Monday night.
Misty "Ariel" Kornegay, 15, and Nicole Kornegay, 11, were charged with murdering Damien, 16, while their parents were out of town.
According to a police report, Ariel claimed that Damien beat her and locked her in a room on Monday. When he fell asleep, she allegedly escaped from the room, broke an exterior window to the parents' bedroom, and climbed inside.
Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter told reporters that Ariel took possession of a 9mm handgun in the bedroom, loaded it, and fired a single shot at her brother. Police say that Nicole assisted her sister, although it is unclear how she was involved.
The girls walked nearly four miles to the town of White Springs, and Nicole called a friend's mother to tell her that she had run away. The friend's mother arrived and called police, and Ariel told the officer about the killing.
The three children, along with a three-year-old sister, had been left alone in the home while the parents, Keith and Misty, were out of town.
Sheriff Hunter said that Keith was a truck driver, and his unemployed wife would sometimes accompany him on his runs. Leaving the four children alone was "an accepted practice," Hunter said.
The parents were charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm, a second-degree felony, and face up to 15 years in prison. The father was ordered to have no contact with the kids, while Misty was allowed supervised visits.
Sheriff Hunter said the charges are not related to the killing, but to separate incidents of Ariel allegedly being locked in her room with only a blanket and a bucket.
Ariel and Nicole will be held for 30 days in detention facilities while State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister determines whether they will be charged as juvenile or adults. The toddler was taken by a child protection agency.
The case is still under investigation.
