Kornegay sisters kill brother, Sisters Misty and Nicole Kornegay are being held without bond in a Florida jail after being accused of killing their older 16-year-old brother while he slept on Monday and their parents were traveling.
Misty, 15, and Nicole, 11, remained in the Columbia County Jail on Wednesday and their parents, Keith and Misty Kornegay, were charged child neglect, according to WJXT-TV, with bond set at $20,000 each. Authorities told the television station that the Keith Kornegay, 37, is an over-the-road truck driver and he and wife, 36, were on the road when the incident occurred.
Police charged that Misty Kornegay confessed to shooting her brother Damien Kornegay, claiming he beat her and locked her in her room at their White Springs residence. Misty Kornegay told authorities Nicole freed her, and Ariel proceeded to load a gun in their parent's bedroom and fired at her brother.
The girls both left the home but were confronted by police after a parent of one of girls' friends contacted authorities, reported WJXT-TV. During the investigation, a 3-year-old girl was found in the family home and is now in custody with the Florida Department of Children and Families.
According to the Florida Times-Union, Third Circuit State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister is still considering whether to charge the girls as adults. Siegmeister said he has 21 days to make that decision or ask a judge for an extension of nine days.
The Gainesville Sun reported that Damien Kornegay was a student at Columbia County High School, the same school Misty Kornegay attended until she withdrew on Jan. 1 because of disciplinary issues, sheriff spokesman Murray Smith said.
Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter told WJXT-TV that Misty Kornegay had attempted to kill herself several times while her parents had kept her locked in her room for up weeks at a time with just a blanket and bucket for her to urinate.
"I've been doing this for a good long time and I've never seen anything like this," Hunter said. "This is the stuff nightmares are made of."
