In a confession made only hours after his September 2019 arrest for the murder of his parents and three siblings, 14-year-old Mason Sisk told police that he just “got fed up.”
The Elkmont, Alabama teen was detained shortly after the murders and taken to the Limestone County Jail where he told investigators that his parents argued often and he didn’t want his siblings to grow up in a house like that. The recorded confession caught Sisk saying, “Yeah, they argue a lot, and I got fed up with it.”
Limestone District Attorney Brian Jones played a video of Sisk’s interrogation in court at the Friday, August 26, hearing. One of Sisk’s attorneys, Michael Sizemore, argued that it should be thrown out by the judge because the teen only parroted back information that interrogators fed to him. During the interrogation, Sisk claimed not to recall which family member he shot first or the details of what unfolded on the night of the murders.
Sisk’s defense team claimed that the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) held the youngster in the back of a patrol car for over half an hour. They say LCSO further detained Sisk for two more hours before reading him his rights. They accused detectives of questioning the teen without advising him that he could remain silent and was entitled to have an attorney or guardian present. During that time, deputies seized Sisk’s phone, reviewed its contents without a warrant, and tested his hands for gunshot residue.
Attorneys for the prosecution and defense will file final arguments before Limestone County Circuit Judge Chad Wise rules on the motion to suppress the statements made during Sisk’s interrogation. Judge Wise is expected to issue a final order sometime later this week.
The court heard testimony from five members of LCSO involved in the arrest and interrogation of Sisk, including Mike Blakely, the former sheriff. Blakely testified that his office initially thought Sisk was a surviving witness and that is why he wasn’t read his rights upfront. He claimed that it was after they began talking to Sisk about what had occurred at the house that he became a suspect.
On the question of why Sisk was handcuffed at the scene if he was not a suspect, Blakely said that it was common practice to handcuff and detain witnesses at crime scenes. He further stated that Sisk could have asked to leave, even while in handcuffs, up until the point that he was read his rights.
LCSO deputy Andrew King, the officer who handcuffed Sisk and placed him in a patrol car minutes after reporting to the crime scene, contradicted Blakely’s testimony. King said that Sisk was being detained and was not allowed to leave after he was handcuffed.
Body camera footage obtained at the scene shows that Deputy Justin Fields was immediately suspicious of Sisk upon arriving at the scene. Fields were one of the first officers to arrive and can be heard telling his lieutenant that Sisk was “a little fishy to me,” after initially speaking with the defendant.
The murders occurred at around 11 p.m. on September 2, 2019, on Ridge Road in Elkmont. Sisk called 911 to report that someone broke into their home while he was downstairs and shot his family who was asleep upstairs. Sisk’s father, stepmother, and three siblings were murdered. 38-year-old John Sisk, 35-year-old Mary Sisk, 6-year-old Kane, 5-year-old Rorrie, and 6-month-old Colson all died of gunshot wounds.
Sisk denied killing his family to police at the scene and continued to maintain his story after being taken to an interrogation room at the sheriff’s department. He told detectives that he had heard someone in the house and only saw their taillights as they drove away afterward. Blakely confronted the teen about his story, letting him know he didn’t believe him. Eventually, Sisk admitted he killed all five members of his family and apologized for lying.
Previous reports have indicated that Sisk had previously attempted to poison his stepmother and that he claims to have been sexually abused at an earlier age. It has also been reported that he has a history of aggression toward various members of his family.
The motion to suppress his confession could play a huge part in how his upcoming trial, currently scheduled for September 12, will unfold.
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