A participant in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brutally murdered an entire family in Florida

In the police the former Marine is said to have confessed to killing the family in Florida, but he had no clear motive. NPR.

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Police captured Marine Corps veteran Brian Riley near Lakeland, Florida at the home where he allegedly killed the couple, their three-month-old son, and the boy's grandmother. The man could not clearly explain his actions.

But in reality, no one knows, and may never know, why Riley attacked a family with which he had no ties. The only answer is he may have been mentally ill. Riley's girlfriend told investigators that he claimed to be able to communicate directly with God.

“The main question is why? said local prosecutor Brian Haas after Sunday's killings. “We won’t know the answer today, or perhaps ever.”

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Riley, 33, is being held in incommunicado detention following the Sunday massacre on four counts of first-degree murder. During his first appearance in court on Monday, he said he intended to hire a lawyer, but a public defender was appointed to represent him until Riley will not hire his own.

Riley, who served as a sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan, surrenders Sunday morning following a violent shootout with authorities. When it was over, an officer broke into the house and rescued the 11-year-old girl, who was still conscious despite being shot seven times. Her condition was stable on Tuesday morning, the sheriff's office said.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley told investigators that the victims "were begging to be kept alive, but I killed them anyway."

“He’s the devil in the flesh,” Judd said. “Just because you have mental health problems does not mean you are not criminally responsible.”

Judd identified 40-year-old Judge Gleason as one of the victims. Citing state privacy law, Judd only identified the other victims as a 33-year-old woman, her young son, and the boy's 62-year-old grandmother. Facebook posts and public records show that Gleeson was in a relationship with Teresa Lanham, and they had a baby boy, Jody, in May. Lanham's mother, Catherine Delgado, owned the property and lived there. Gleason also had an 11-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

According to court records, on Saturday night, about nine hours before the attack, Riley stopped his truck and collided with Gleason while he was mowing the lawn. Riley, who lives 50 km away from the city of Tampa, told Gleason that God had sent him to prevent the suicide of someone named Amber.

Gleason and one of the other victims told Riley that no one with that name lives there and asked him to leave. They called 911, but when the police arrived and searched the area, the suspicious man was gone.

“We receive thousands of reports of suspicious people,” Judd said. “Assuming we have time to stop and investigate every suspect vehicle is impossible. He didn't pose any threat. He was just a guy who just said stupid things."

Riley is back around 4:30 am Sunday morning, spreading glow sticks to pave the way to the house in what Judd said might have been an attempt to lure the officers into an "ambush."

Shooting soon began, and when the sheriff heard clapping sounds, he sounded the alarm, leading state and local law enforcement officers to the scene. When they arrived, they found an unarmed Riley dressed in camouflage and his truck on fire.

The man ran back into the house, where authorities heard more gunshots and “a woman screaming and a baby crying,” Judd said.

The officers tried to enter the house, but the front door was barricaded. Judd said that when they got to the back of the house, they saw Riley.

According to Judd, between Riley and the officers a shootout began. All was quiet, soon the killer left the house. He was injured and decided to surrender.

The officers heard cries for help, but were not sure that there was another attacker inside, and also feared that the house was mined. However, one officer burst in and grabbed the wounded girl, who reported that there were three dead people inside.

The sheriff's office said that all the dead were taken by surprise, the boy's body was found in the arms of a dead mother, there, in her arms, the kid was dying from wounds. Even the domestic dog was shot.

“I will never be able to forget what I saw - a mother with a dead baby in her arms,” Judd said. "It's horror beyond measure."

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Family friend Pansy Minsy Smith told The Ledger that she last saw Gleason at the hospital shortly after his son was born.

"He smiled broadly to your newborn little boy, he had a big teddy bear for him. This is so heartbreaking,” Smith wrote on Facebook.

Authorities said Riley's girlfriend told investigators he was never violent but had become increasingly unpredictable. He claimed his mission was to collect supplies for victims of Hurricane Ida, including $1000 worth of cigars.

Authorities said Riley's car was equipped with bleeding control kits and other gunfight supplies.

According to the sheriff, he worked as a private security guard and had no criminal record.

Police sent Riley to prison later Sunday in a white jumpsuit. He looked depressed, head down and barely opening his eyes when reporters asked why he killed the family.

“This guy was a war hero. He fought for his country,” Judd said. Now “he’s a cold-blooded killer.”

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