FREEHOLD, N.J. – A judge has ruled that media organizations will not be allowed to attend the initial court appearance of a teenage boy accused of fatally shooting his parents, his sister and a family friend in New Jersey on New Year's Eve.
The 16-year-old boy was due to make the appearance Tuesday in Family Court, where hearings are normally closed to the public. But that was postponed when media organizations sought to attend.
Judge Lisa Thornton rejected the request Tuesday. The hearing is now planned for Wednesday.
Authorities haven't disclosed a motive but said they will seek to move the case to adult court. They say the victims were shot multiple times at close range.
The boy's grandfather, his brother and a family friend escaped the house in Long Branch uninjured.
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