COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The jury found Eldon Samuel III, 16, guilty on two counts of murder on Friday night.
Sentencing will be in roughly ten weeks. In the meantime, the judge ordered a psychological evaluation for Samuel.
Samuel III was charged as an adult in the killing of his 46-year-old father, Eldon Samuel Jr., and his 13-year-old brother, Jonathan Samuel, on March 24, 2014.
Prosecutors cited graphic evidence and the number of times Samuels stabbed his brother to prove the First Degree Murder Charge.
At one point in the trial, Samuel's lawyer said his father "trained him for the zombie apocalypse."
Neighbors who lived across the street told the court they witnessed Samuel III's dad pacing and muttering outside on the night of the shooting. The defense has claimed Samuel III's father was ranting about zombies the night of the murder. The prosecution called this prosecution said this defense was “ridiculous.”
The defense argued that Samuel acted in self defense and was under the influence of medication that he dad was sneaking to him. Samuel's attorney said, "Eldon snapped. He wasn't going to take another beating." As for his brother's murder, the defense argued that it was not "cold blooded."
Closing arguments were supposed to take place Thursday afternoon, but court ran out of time. It is unclear how long the jury will need to deliberate.