A judge cleared
the way Thursday for a New Mexico teenager who shot and killed his parents and
three younger siblings to be sentenced as a juvenile and released from state
custody by the time he turns 21 after the teen's attorneys argued he could be
psychologically rehabilitated.
Nehemiah Griego was 15 when he opened fire in his family's home south of
Albuquerque, killing his mother as she slept and then his 9-year-old brother
and two sisters, ages 5 and 2, authorities said. Griego's father was the last
to die: The teen waited in a bathroom and ambushed the gang member turned
pastor after he returned home, sheriff's officials said.
Now 18, Griego has undergone nearly two years of therapy at a state
adolescent treatment center — where his teachers, psychiatrists and others say
he has made significant progress after being diagnosed with schizoaffective
disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and some learning disabilities.