Teen Murdered Parents, Threw Party with Bodies Hidden Inside Bedroom

Tyler Hadley wanted to party — but when his parents said no, he decided to kill them and throw one anyway.

On July 16, 2011, the 17-year-old bludgeoned Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley to death with a claw hammer inside their Port St. Lucie, Florida home. He dragged their bodies into the master bedroom, buried them under towels, picture frames, and other household items, then spent hours scrubbing away blood before posting on Facebook: “Party at my crib tonight… maybe.”

More than 60 teens showed up, dancing, drinking, and hanging out just feet from where his parents’ bodies lay. Some noticed the strange smell in the house. Others spotted blood.

In a 2024 Court TV interview for Interview with a Killer, Hadley admitted that after the murders, he looked at himself covered in blood in the bathroom mirror and laughed — before heading out to mingle with party guests.

He told investigators he attacked his mother from behind while she sat at a computer. His father ran in, horrified, and asked, “Why?” Tyler’s chilling reply: “Why the f— not?” He said he felt like he was in a trance, swinging the hammer over and over as his parents screamed and begged for their lives.

Hadley had talked about killing his parents for weeks, even telling friends he wanted to host a party afterward because “it had never been done before.” That night, he confided in his best friend, Michael Mandell, who didn’t believe him — until Tyler unlocked the bedroom and showed him the bodies.

Police arrived the next morning, finding the hammer between the victims’ bodies. In 2014, Hadley pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to two life terms without parole. Prosecutors said that in prison, he nicknamed himself “Hammer Boy” and signed autographs for other inmates.

Now 31, Hadley says he still doesn’t fully understand why he did it — and won’t be eligible for a sentencing review until 2039.