(VALPARAISO) – A 17-year-old Indiana youth faces murder charges for allegedly killing two other teens in what police say an informant told them was a drug deal gone bad.
The Associated Press reports, Porter County prosecutors say Connor R. Kerner of Valparaiso is charged as an adult in the deaths of 18-year-old Thomas Grill of Cedar Lake and 19-year-old Molley Lanham of St. John. He was ordered to be held without bond Monday after preliminary not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
Police say in an affidavit an informant told them Kerner said he shot and beat Grill when Grill tried to rob Kerner during the drug deal, then shot Lanham in the head.
Police say they believe two bodies found in a burned vehicle are Grill and Lanham.
Kerner’s attorney, Mark Thiros, declined to comment on the case.
