Wisconsin teen who ‘bludgeoned mother to death with dumbbell was inspired by popular Netflix show’

A Wisconsin teen accused of viciously murdering his mother allegedly told police he was inspired by a Netflix series about the Menendez brothers. 

Reed Gelinskey, 16, allegedly stabbed his mother, Suzanne, five times with a kitchen knife after bashing her over the head with a dumbbell in their Franksville home on Tuesday night. 

The idea to go through with the gut-wrenching crime allegedly struck him while he was watching the ‘shotgun scene’ of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

The violent scene depicts the brothers fatally shooting their parents José and Kitty inside their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.  

After the gory attack, Reed sent a Snapchat photo of his bloodied dead mother to his friend and told her to call the police, according to a criminal complaint. 

Police rushed to the scene and were immediately greeted by Reed, who they say walked outside and dropped a brown and silver knife on the ground. 

‘She is dead,’ he told police as he clothes were covered in blood, according to the complaint. ‘She is dead from what I did.’

In a later ‘excited utterance’, he allegedly admitted he used the dumbbell to try and knock out his mother so he could easily stab her. 

Authorities say he explained to a detective that he came home form school that day feeling depressed and had an ‘urge to kill his parents.’ 

He alleged said he wanted to kill his dad when he came home from work as well, but could not find a ‘large enough’ hammer. 

As part of his alleged plot, Reed is accused of hiding his sleeping medication and secretly putting a steak knife in his pocket. 

He then went into his mother’s bedroom and claimed he could not find his pills, prompting her to get out of bed and help him find them downstairs, according to cops.

While her back was turned, Reed used a dumbbell bar hidden in his shirt’s sleeve and struck Suzanne twice with it over the head.

But it did not go as Reed planned, according to the complaint. His mother did not fall over after being hit like he thought she would – so he tackled her to the ground and grabbed the knife, according to the complaint.

Police say the accused murder told them d his mother fought back hard, kicking him about seven times to get him off her. 

‘Why?’ she asked him as she battled for her life. ‘Pain,’ he reportedly responded as he allegedly stabbed her three times in the chest and twice in the neck. 

Reed had been taking his brother’s anxiety medication for about a month, he told police. 

The night of the attack he allegedly took nine pills, which made him feel ‘high and he enjoys that,’ the complaint reads. 

Reed appeared in court via Zoom on Thursday and was charged as an adult with first-degree homicide. His bond was set at $1 million.

‘This was an extremely violent but planned offense. It’s dangerous in its nature. His original plan was not for just the one victim but for two,’ Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson said, Fox 6 reported. 

The teen went to court again on Friday and his next scheduled hearing is on March 12. 

According to a Facebook post shared by Suzanne on March 8, 2020, Reed turned 16 on Saturday as he remains in custody. He has not entered a plea at this time.