Teen Who Killed Girlfriend's Parents in 2010 to Walk Free

A 13-year-old boy fatally shot Darlene Nevil, 46, twice on Aug. 17, 2010, then shot her husband five times. With a bullet lodged in his throat, Alan Nevil, 48, climbed out a window and reached a neighbor's yard in Garland, Texas, before identifying the boy as his stepdaughter's boyfriend. Alan Nevil died later in a hospital, but police say the boy—whom they found having celebratory sex with his 12-year-old girlfriend—admitted to shooting the Nevils on his girlfriend's orders; she had lied, telling him her stepdad had sexually abused her, police say. "He took responsibility almost immediately," a detective said during a hearing Wednesday. But in what the Washington Post calls an "astonishing—and for the Nevil family, terrifying—twist," a judge has ordered the boy released when he turns 19 next month—just five years into a 28-year sentence.

"Five years? For capital murder?" Alan Nevil's son shouted in court, per the Dallas Morning News. It's a strange turn of events considering the boy has been involved in 64 incidents—including assault and possession of a controlled substance—while in detention. However, officials say he has lately changed course, getting his GED, working as a groundskeeper, and becoming a role model for others. He'll attend anger management classes and spend six months to a year on supervised parole, then remain on adult parole until 2038. "We didn't get the outcome that we wanted … I don't think that was just for my family," says Alan's granddaughter, who's the same age as the boy, per Fox 4. A hearing to determine if the boy's accomplice, who also pleaded guilty to capital murder, will be released is set for later this year. (More Texas stories.)