A former U.S. Marine Corps sniper who told authorities he was drugged with methamphetamine when he broke into a Florida home and shot and killed a woman, her three-month-old baby and two other people, will remain in custody. without bond after appearing in court at his first hearing on Monday.
Bryan Riley, 33, also requested his own attorney and will be assigned one for his defense until he finds another, a judge said.
Riley turned himself in Sunday morning after a shootout with police officers who used at least one armored vehicle during the fire exchange. An agent entered the house and rescued an 11-year-old girl, who was still conscious despite having been shot seven times. The minor is in critical but stable condition on Monday, according to police.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley, who served the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, appears to be suffering from mental health problems.
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He added that Riley's girlfriend revealed to detectives that he has post-traumatic stress disorder, that he was raving for weeks and that he repeatedly told him that he could communicate directly with God.
The murdered family ran into Riley Saturday afternoon when he randomly broke into his home in Lakeland, about 30 miles from Tampa, where he lives, Judd said.
Justice Gleason, 40, was mowing his lawn when the man stopped in front of his house and said God had sent him to prevent the suicide of someone named Amber. Gleason and another person, whom Judd described as one of the victims, replied that they did not know anyone by that name and asked him to leave. They called the police, but by the time officers arrived Riley was already gone.
Hours later, Riley returned and shot the family, revealing in questioning with authorities that "they begged for their lives and I still killed them," Judd claimed.
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