15-Year-Old Kills His Mother After Watching Menendez Brothers Netflix Show

A shocking case out of Caledonia, Wisconsin, has left the community reeling after a 15-year-old boy allegedly murdered his mother in cold blood. The teenager, Reed Gelinskey, is facing a first-degree intentional homicide charge after confessing to the brutal killing of Suzanne Gelinskey inside their home on March 4.

The case has taken an even darker turn with Reed’s claim that he was inspired by a Netflix documentary about the infamous Menendez brothers, who killed their parents in 1989. With chilling details emerging from police reports and court documents, the tragedy has drawn national attention and reignited discussions about the impact of violent media on impressionable minds.

The Gruesome Crime Scene

Authorities arrived at the Gelinskey residence after receiving a disturbing 911 call from one of Reed’s friends. The friend had received a Snapchat message from the teen containing an image of his dead mother and an alarming plea for help.

When officers pulled up to the house, they found Reed standing outside, drenched in blood and gripping a kitchen knife. His first words to the police were both haunting and matter-of-fact.

“She is dead from what I did,” he told them before dropping the weapon.

Inside, the scene was even more horrific. Suzanne Gelinskey’s body lay lifeless, her clothes soaked in blood. She had suffered multiple stab wounds to her chest and neck. Blood splatters coated the surrounding area, painting a gruesome picture of the violent struggle that had taken place.

A Murder Inspired by the Menendez Brothers

During questioning, Reed made a disturbing confession. He told investigators that he had been feeling depressed and overwhelmed with an urge to harm his parents. Earlier that day, he ingested nine of his brother’s anxiety pills, admitting that he enjoyed how they made him feel “high.”

That night, while watching a Netflix documentary about the Menendez brothers, he became fixated on a particular scene. In his own words, something about it “gave him the idea” to kill his own parents. The thought festered in his mind until he decided to act on it.

The Cold and Calculated Attack

According to the criminal complaint, Reed meticulously planned the attack. He waited until his mother was watching a movie before sneaking away to retrieve his sleep medication. Underneath his clothes, he hid a steak knife in his pocket and a dumbbell handle up his sleeve.

When Suzanne came downstairs to help him find the medication, he struck without hesitation.

First, he swung the dumbbell handle at her head twice, hoping to knock her unconscious. When that failed, he shoved her to the ground and began stabbing her in a frenzy. He plunged the knife into her chest three times and slashed her neck twice.

Even as she fought back, bleeding out on the floor, she managed to gasp out a single, desperate question.

“Why?” she asked her son.

His answer was as chilling as the crime itself.

“Pain.”

A Digital Confession and a $1 Million Bond

After the brutal slaying, Reed didn’t flee. Instead, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of his mother’s lifeless body. He sent the image to a female friend on Snapchat, urging her to call the police.

His shocking lack of remorse stunned even seasoned investigators. When officers arrived, he didn’t resist arrest. He simply asked them to kill him.

Reed appeared in court on March 7, where prosecutors announced that he would be charged as an adult. His bond was set at a staggering $1 million, a reflection of the gruesome nature of his alleged crime. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 12.

If convicted, he faces life in prison.

A Crime That Mirrors a Notorious Case

The murder has drawn eerie comparisons to the infamous case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the California brothers who gunned down their wealthy parents in 1989. The siblings later claimed they had endured years of abuse at the hands of their father, though the prosecution painted them as greedy, entitled killers.

In recent years, public perception of the Menendez brothers has shifted, fueled by documentaries and social media campaigns advocating for their release. The Netflix series Reed allegedly watched before the murder is just one of many pop culture retellings of the case.

Now, authorities are left to untangle whether the Wisconsin teen was truly inspired by the show or if it merely provided him with an excuse for a crime he had already planned.

The Fallout and Lingering Questions

As the community struggles to process this unthinkable crime, conversations about mental health, youth violence, and the role of media in shaping young minds are reigniting.

What led a 15-year-old to commit such a gruesome act against his own mother? Could this tragedy have been prevented? And how much influence did the Netflix documentary really have on his actions?

For now, Reed Gelinskey sits behind bars, awaiting his fate. But the horror he unleashed on that March night will haunt his family, his community, and the country for years to come.