Cockeysville teen arrested for murder of parents, brothers
Nicholas Browning (pictured at left from his Facebook profile) was arrested at 1 a.m. Sunday morning after four bodies were found in a Cockeysville home Saturday evening.
Nicholas W. Browning was arrested at about 1 a.m. this morning after confessing to the murders of his parents and siblings, police said today at a 11 a.m. news conference in Towson.
Police said Nicholas had an argument with his father, John W. Browning, Friday night and that he took his father’s handgun and shot his father, as well as his mother, Tamara Browning, and brothers, Gregory Browning, 13, and Benjamin Browning, 11.
Nicholas left his family’s home in the 10900 block of Powers Ave. on Friday and spent that night with a friend. He returned Saturday at about 5 p.m. and reported to his friend that he had discovered the body of at least one of his family members. Police were called and patrol cars swarmed the area.
The teenager, who is a sophomore at Dulaney High School and a Boy Scout, is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center, police said.
John Browning’s law partners at the firm of Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid in Towson were set to hold a meeting to discuss the deaths at 12:30 p.m. today, according to partner Thomas F. McDonough.
[...]
The house was built and bought by the Brownings in 1994.
Another neighbor, Robert Owens, said John Browning was “a wonderful person, a Scoutmaster, a lawyer, a wonderful guy.”
According to the Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid Web site, he was born in Baltimore and graduated from James Madison University, receiving his law degree from the University of Baltimore.
The Web site says: “His practice focuses on real estate law and commercial and corporate law with emphasis on sales, acquisitions and reorganization of businesses, employment, franchises, lending and bankruptcy law.
“John is actively involved in community, civic and service organizations and scouting.”
He also served as the chairman of the Land Records Committee for Baltimore County.
[...]
A preliminary cause of death was expected to be released today after the bodies had been examined by the medical examiner, Toohey said.
[...]
Nicholas Browning had not been getting along with his father, according to a police news release. On Friday night, he went into the house after other family members were asleep and shot each of them using his father’s handgun, which was in the house, police said.
After the slayings, he threw the gun away in bushes near his house, police said. The gun has been recovered, Toohey said.
Toohey said the youth then spent Friday night and all day Saturday with friends. When the friends took him home at 5 p.m. Saturday, Browning went inside and then came back out to say that his father was dead. He called 911.
Police officers found Browning’s father dead in a ground-floor room and his mother and brothers dead in upstairs bedrooms. There was no sign of a confrontation in the house, Toohey said.
Browning, a sophomore at Dulaney High School in the neighboring suburb of Timonium, was denied bail Sunday morning at a hearing. He was being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson in a special section for juveniles.
It could not be determined if Browning had a lawyer.
His bail will be reviewed Monday in District Court in Towson.
Even if convicted as an adult of first-degree murder, Browning is too young under state law to face the death penalty.
[...]
Liz Lazlawbach, 17, said Browning complained about fighting with his father, but “not about anything violent.”
John Browning had been an attorney for 19 years with Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid. He was a partner in the firm, which is the county’s oldest law firm and is in the county seat of Towson, about six miles from the family’s home. He focused on real estate law and commercial and corporate law. Browning was listed as an attorney in more than 100 cases in the last 10 years, including many real estate cases, according to state court records.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and earned his law degree at the University of Baltimore, according to his biography on the firm’s Web site.
The grounds of the family’s large two-story farmhouse-style home were neat and there was a basketball backboard outside. Someone had hung a small, silver-colored crucifix from the Brownings’ mailbox.
Neighbors called each other throughout the night to talk about the tragedy, said resident Mike Thomas. He said one of his sons had been in Boy Scouts with one of the Brownings’ sons and that John Browning was a scouting leader.
“These people would do anything in the world for you – just incredible people,” Thomas said. For instance, Thomas said the Brownings would pick up debris along the street.
[...]
Thomas said he recently sold Browning a trailer that Browning planned to use for Boy Scout outings. It was parked Sunday in the Brownings’ driveway.
The Brownings’ troop, Troop 328, meets at Timonium United Methodist Church. The pastor there declined Sunday morning to comment and said the troop’s leaders also did not want to talk.
Counselors were to be available Monday to meet with students at Dulaney High, said Charles Herndon, a county school spokesman. He declined to say where Browning’s younger brothers went to school.
41 Comments
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1
i knew nick browning and he was a creep. but he never seemed like he would do somethign like this. he was born into a really nice family.
Comment by im not saying — February 3, 2008 @ 9:57 pm
2
that is fU**ed up i hope he rots in prision
Comment by brendan boyce — February 3, 2008 @ 10:53 pm
3
Wow. This is so sad for everyone involved. He must be a really, really troubled young man. You always wonder how someone could do something of this magnitude and to top it off, go hang out with friends. Scary.
Comment by Ashlie — February 3, 2008 @ 11:41 pm
4
That’s really disturbing…I wonder what got into his mind?
Comment by Vladek von Krieger — February 4, 2008 @ 12:00 am
5
crimes such as these are committed not just by this jerk but by so many others because they are taking advantage of our lenient legal system we have in place. criminals here in the u.s. are fully rewarded when crimes are comitted here, they are awarded, 3 meals a day,a roof over their heads, free clothing and free protection. criminals here are not afraid of our legal system with its slipping thru cracks, lost paperworks etc. our system needs to be more harsh on these criminals, free attorneys at the tax payers expense when its known they are guilty,its no more than a expensive side show for the public at tax payers expense.when people like this do something of this magnitude and its proven they are in fact guilty, eliminate them, that way the living public don’t have that animal to worry about anymore.
Comment by harri — February 4, 2008 @ 7:43 am
6
I patially have to agree with #5 Comment by harri. This kid Nick should be eliminated. What the hell kind of life does he have now? It’s very sad.
Then again, maybe he can be helped. I don’t know but it’s a mess.
Comment by Jim Here — February 4, 2008 @ 10:54 am
7
this is so sad. what’s happening to our young men. we really have to pray earnestly for them. what a waste!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by glory — February 4, 2008 @ 10:56 am
8
[...] Cockeysville teen arrested for murder of parents, brothers 4 bodies found in [...]
Pingback by NEWS RELEASE: Teen Charged in Murders of Family Members — February 4, 2008 @ 11:30 am
9
How did this kid get the gun? What kind of exposure to violence did he have that something like this would occur to him? I hate guns.
Comment by jules — February 4, 2008 @ 11:42 am
10
that was the craziest tradegy of the year yet. It makes you wonder if he killed his own family for no reason apparently only god knows what he would do to other individuals. im almost sure the arguments him and his parents or father went through any other normal teen had it worst. basicly those were problems he could have overcome easily and not by killing. i stay not too far from there and i was scared to death who knows who else malacious would do such thing. have mercy upon the rest of the family and as for the boy may you ask for forgiveness!!!!!!!
Comment by Courtney Irvin — February 4, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
11
Crying all day at my school i to school with Ben and he was an amazing funny kid, we all are so upset and his brother was was an a**hole. The boys lockers are full of cards and flowers and everyone is crying. I cried during homeroom my bff new him and another friend was bawling like a baby.
Comment by Mady — February 4, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
12
i knew greg we went to the same school and i didnt really know him that well but i could not stand the fact that he died such a terrible death and i knew that greg was those type of people that every body could like also his brother too.
Comment by saif sheikh — February 4, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
13
this is sad!…CM told me at school and i researched it…LOL
Comment by alejandro — February 4, 2008 @ 4:07 pm
14
this is sad!…CM told me at school and i researched it…LOL
PS…i think i heard he killed them because of a car!
Comment by alejandro — February 4, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
15
Yeah this is horrible. I knew Greg from a sports team, and he was a great kid. Nick was weird, but I didn’t think he would do this…
Comment by Kev — February 4, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
16
I think that the one thing that everyone here is missing is the fact that this boy, his family, and their extended family and friends need prayer. In the end there is only one person you have to answer to and Nick will come to that realization one day. To John,Tammy,Greg and Ben we all miss you and love you. The All American family.
Comment by A.Smith — February 4, 2008 @ 6:27 pm
17
wow you guys dont even know the kid
ive known this kid since 6th grade, in fact i sat next to him in homeroom this year and ive been friends w/ him as long as i can remember. He was a sweet guy with the best sense of humor ever. He could crack a joke on any sbject. For him to do something so horriffic is out of his nature. He was so popular with so many friends, he threw parties all the time, and was so smart. I copied his AP world history homework daily. I just wish that those who didn’t know him wouldn’tjudge him like that. No one deserves to rot in hell, all you can do is forgive him. I forgive him. Im angry at his actions but i forgive him. What else can you do?
Comment by niki — February 4, 2008 @ 8:18 pm
18
I was told by one of my close friends that he hung out with him and he was a gentle giant…..he told me the story about this and said that when he left his friends house and went back to shoot his family that the next day he invited people to come over to his house to have a party so they could see his parents dead.
Comment by someone — February 4, 2008 @ 10:37 pm
19
I find it funny… hilarious really, that the majority of you don’t even KNOW Nick and you’re judging him and saying “you should rot in hell” and the like. He was a nice kid, a bit obnoxious at times, but boys will be boys, and to all of you, jerks will be jerks. Nobody even knows the entire story and I’m pretty sure he didn’t shoot his family for money, to exhibit them at a party, or maybe he didn’t even do it at all. Who knows? Do You? Obviously not. All we can do is pray and forgive. Everyone has the right to be mad.
Comment by You Don't Need To Know That — February 5, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
20
forgive him?…. umm ok well i didn’t know the kid but what if it was your family??? Not so easy to forgive once the situation becomes applied to you!
Comment by nonya bid-niss — February 5, 2008 @ 10:10 pm
21
Nick wasnt a creep…he was a fun loving teenage boy. If you didnt know him you have no room to talk. He did a messed up thing, yes, but that doesnt give anyone the right to talk bad about him.
Comment by doesnt matter who — February 5, 2008 @ 11:23 pm
22
Okay i didnt really know nick i just ed moved here a few months ago. But the people saying he is a creep and a jerk and all that i mean come on people. Yeah he might have killed his family but i mean dont you think he knows now what he has done. We dont needa keep being mad and pissed at him yeah dont get me wrong it's a torible thing and so so sad.. very heart breaking.. But i'm a 16 year old at dulaney and alot of things go throw young teend mind at one time or another.. But i think no matter if you the worst person to walk to earth and you kill someone.. If GOD can forgive you then so can we!!
R.I.P.
Browning family
Lord help Nick
Comment by Devin — February 6, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
23
who are you to say god forgave him..? That is if god even exists. If god does exist then why did he allow this shit to happen? Seems to me that god needs a better hobby than creating kids that kill thier families. I do not believe that Nick should get the death penalty but should def. be in prison the rest of his life which would be worse than death. If he is forgiven and is let out then he may blast a couple more people. Including your family! Once again think, what if it was your family?? Then you would not be so forgiving. In addition to this, apparently there was an incident in 1973 that occured simulair to this one involving a family member shooting another family member. Both around Nicks age and both on his fathers side of the family. Just a fact. If any of you 16 year olds know how to google then google your little fingers off.
Comment by no 1 — February 7, 2008 @ 11:03 am
24
testing
Comment by Drew — February 7, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
25
Not bad commentary Harri, However, I'm not sure it bears any relevence to this situation at all. You see… 3 meals a day, a roof over the head, free clothing, ect. Are not unique to the US. Though I have no personal experience to speak of… I'm sure these basic needs are widely distributed to many prisoner's all over the world. This very priveleged young suburbanite, didn't exactly abandon his posh surroundings, believing a better life waited behind bars… He was simply, a troubled, an angry kid who couldn't control his anger or even think past 5 minutes. Though Nick's dad certainly didn't deserve this untimely and tragic death. With all the information and tragic stories concerning kids and guns, He must shoulder a HUGE chunck of blame, for not taking safer measures in securing that very dangerous weapon, that was so readily available for anyone who new its whereabouts. With all of John Brownings diligence and commitment to excellence, he still failed to adequately protect his family. May God be with them.
Comment by Drew — February 7, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
26
Devin on #22. Please learn to write. Wow
Comment by Jim Here — February 7, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
27
nick commited a sin that he can never clean for the rest of his life and bought himself a ticket to hell.
Comment by no need to know — June 13, 2008 @ 7:56 pm
28
if the kid got himself some good lawyers then he will be doing some time as a juvenile until he’s 21 and then released… his lawyers should bring in psychologists to testify to the fact that this kid has personality disorders, anger disorders, other mental issues, etc., and since he was only 15 when he did it, he will get placed in a juvenile facility.
Comment by kat — June 24, 2008 @ 12:47 am
29
Society does not knows what goes on with families behind closed doors.Many people like to accuse the murder but does not want to look at the broad picture and ask, “what make this person loose control?!.”
Comment by Lisa — July 2, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
30
i dont know nick or his family. but people need to realize that any young man who could commit this horrible horrible crime can not be mentally stable. he was more than likely very very ill and needed psychiatric help. i work with pysch patients and every single one of them is so different and so many different things can set them off or make them think certain things. i'm not saying that we should forgive nick and i am all for every year that he has to sit in prison. its very very sad what happened to his family. i'm just saying that its a shame no one noticed (or he didnt tell anyone) that he was unstable. and sometimes they show no signs, so its no ones fault. i just wish someone could of caught it before all of this mess broke out. he could of gotten help and work with psychiatrists to get him stable. very sad. rest in peace browning family.
Comment by brittany — October 28, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
31
This young man had been physically and mentally abused all his life. As a result, he became mentally unstable. I hope and pray he gets the psychiatric help he needs while in prison. His family is with God in a much better place. They too will be in my prayers.
Comment by Gina — January 24, 2009 @ 11:00 am
32
Kids see so much violence on t.v. and in the movies. It was not like that 30 years ago. As a result they get desensitized to death and killing. To those of you who say that he will now go to hell let me remind you that the Apostle Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament part of the bible, was a murderer. Yes, a murderer. But he asked Jesus to forgive him, and He did. After that he worked for Christ, and stopped working against Him. Pray for this young boy. Don’t judge him.
Comment by a church going woman — January 24, 2009 @ 11:13 am
33
i agree with #17 (niki), i talk to nick all the time and he can always make me laugh hes a great guy he just didn’t know how to deal with what he was going through. and i keep saying this to people and ill say it again, all of you people who don’t know nick need to stop judging him and stop saying all those mean things!!!!!!
Comment by stephanie — February 3, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
34
I'm a mother of three sons. I can't help but wonder if any of the abuse allegations were ever substantiated? My main question, for all who did know him is,
what was his early childhood like? It seems he is an intelligent, talented young man and was well provided for. Could it be that his emotional well-being was somehow not healthy and yet was simply overlooked due to his active life? Many may have never considered him to have unseen struggles due to his admirable achievements in school and other activities. He may have believed he had no where to turn when he felt these emotions towards his parents. I read that he told some of his peers about his intent to kill his parents. Could that have been his attempt to reach out for some help? Again, I ask only from the perspective of a parent, and with the desire to learn from this how we can be more aware of what leads to this type of killing, and possibly work together as a society to reach out and help those around us when possible. I can't help but wonder what the outcome could have been if he had told of his desire to kill his parents to a trusted adult who may have been able to help him through that difficult time in his life.
Comment by concerned — March 29, 2009 @ 7:51 pm
35
Stephanie:
What I’m about to say is entirely directed at you. Yes I’m aware that it’s been two years to this day that the murders took place, but I’m still finding a hard time moving on. Every month I look up whatever I can about this case. I am constantly finding your name on these messages boards and I need to say something. I went to high school with Nick, I sat next to him in classes, he was my lab partner the day he murdered his family, and he was supposed to graduate with me in 4 months. I was his friend, I was one of those people he invited over for a party at his house. The house that contained the lifeless bodies of his parents and two younger brothers. My sister was good friends with Greg. Watching you constantly defend Nick makes me sick and the fact that you didn’t even become aquatinted with him until after the murders occurred is even more sickening. You joked on the phone with him about escaping? Do you not understand what he did? My younger brother was 11 at the time of the murders (the same age as Ben, Nick’s youngest brother) and he understood what happened. I watched him along with my entire school and community weep at their funeral. You need serious and immediate help. I’m aware it’s been almost a year since someone last commented on here, but I hope you read this. Even more I hope you have gained enough knowledge from to discover what exactly you’ve gotten yourself into.
Comment by schrieber — February 3, 2010 @ 12:20 am
36
ok&i’m gonna direct this to *you mr. schrieber, tell me , exactly what is so wrong w/ someone looking deeply very deeply into a situation that may look entirely cut&dry to someone obviously completely closed-minded & one-dimensional to the fact that maybe, just maybe, this kid actually *was* abused in ways that even you, as his “friend” {so-called Benedict arnold m fing friends like you is the reason a whole nother lot of problems exist in this world?hmmm??? think about that, while you finish chewing on this, you are what, 18 years old? mr. schrieber? still very very wet behind the ears there kid, lol, make damn sure you know wtf you’re so mad about w/ Stephanie, cuz this lady here is very interested! now holla on back if you dare, chump, lol, period and exclamation mark, put stephanie on blast will you, lol…
Comment by kat25923 — February 10, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
37
right on people do mess up
Comment by bobby — March 8, 2011 @ 2:04 pm
38
All of you who are saying you knew him and are defending him are idiots. Don't say we cannot judge him because we didnt know him. This kid MURDERED his family. Killed a thirteen year old and an eleven year old boy who were never given the chance at life. I'm positive all of you saying he was 'nice' and "funny" are sixteen year old kiddies who havent even hit puberty yet. Do you realize murder means the people who were killed will NEVER come back. Nick is obviously mentaly unstable and deserves the death penalty. And for those who are saying "don't juge him he made a mistake" Well this isnt just a spilled drink on the carpet kind of mistake, four lives were lost. You are all dumb-asses. Lets see if i find all of you and murder your families. You cant judge me because it would probably have been a mistake, and i really am a good person. People mess up sometimes right? Go to hell you jesus loving pansies.
Comment by Rachel — April 21, 2011 @ 6:12 pm
39
i don't know him but i go to the middle school the brothers went to
Comment by guest — June 16, 2011 @ 3:28 pm
40
[...] to the Baltimore Sun, Browning was a sophomore at Dulaney High School in Timonium, as well as an active Boy Scout, at [...]
Pingback by Prison Pen Pal Site Lets Convicted Killers Seek ‘Someone To Talk To’ « CBS Washington — February 1, 2012 @ 9:42 am
41
when people bring god into the scenereo they forget one thing, yes god forgives but its not that simple ….you can only be forgiven if you ASK for forgiveness repent ,feel remourse and feel bad for what you did .god demands that any man that smites or kills his family shall surly be put to death ,an eye for an eye, but if that person wants forgiveness then yes we forgive as so would god ,but forgiveness is only for those who ask to be forgiven its not automatic!! so if someone killed someone i loved and i said i forgive you cause god doese ……..that is all wrong i wouldnt forgive unless that murderer asked me for forgiveness and god would not forgive that murderer unless he asked for forgiveness ….
Comment by lori — February 15, 2012 @ 6:28 pm