Death Penalty Sought For Man Accused In Family Massacre

Lakeland FL

24 September, 2021

3:15 PM

Description

POLK COUNTY, FL — Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a former Marine who is accused of killing Lakeland family members at their home in early September, the Polk County State Attorney's Office told Patch Friday. Bryan Riley, 33, who claimed God sent him to save an imaginary woman from the family's home on North Socrum Loop Road Sept. 5, is accused of killing four people and their dog, and shooting an 11-year-old girl multiple times, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. The girl was the only survivor. Gleason told detectives the only way Aubry Gleason survived was by playing dead. Her father, Justice Gleason; Theresa Lanham, who was Gleason's girlfriend; Lanham's mother, Catherine Delgado; and Gleason's infant son, who was 4 months old at the time of the shooting, were all killed. Riley told Aubry Gleason while shooting her he killed her family because they were involved in sex trafficking activities, which Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said was not true. Twenty-two charges were filed against Riley by a grand jury Tuesday, including four first-degree murder charges. He is expected to make a plea at an October arraignment. Among the charges Riley faces in addition to first-degree murder: attempted first degree murder on a law enforcement officer, animal cruelty, arson and shooting into a building. "State Attorney Brian Hass signed a notice of intent in pursuing the death penalty, listing several aggravating factors that support the state's decision," WTSP reported. "It includes, in part, that the homicide 'was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel' and that it was 'committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner.'" Related Patch Stories: 4 Murder Charges Filed Against Bryan Riley In Lakeland Deaths'Parents Were Killed For Being Sex Traffickers' Shooter Said: Cop11-Year-Old Shooting Victim Needs Donations For Hospital Bills