We’ve all seen commercials about prescription medications and potential side effects. Although the warnings might seem a bit over the top at times, it’s critical for manufacturers to make the information public. Some drugs have such severe risks that the US Food and Drug Administration gives them a black box warning. Drugs with this classification can cause physical and emotional side effects and sometimes, even death. In December 2023, Connor Hilton, a 17-year-old taking acne medication, shot two friends, killing one. His defense claims the prescription caused him to kill.
According to CBS News’ 48 Hours: The Rx Defense, Hilton cried as he spoke to investigators following the horrific December night. When police arrived at Hilton’s home in Texas, the distraught teenager told them about the shootings and the victims inside the home. Hilton shot Ethan Riley, 18, and Benjamin Bliek, 19. Riley died from his injuries, and Bliek received serious, life-altering injuries.
While talking with the police, Hilton cried and begged for help. “I’ve had suicidal, homicidal thoughts for so long,” he told police in a clip revealed by 48 Hours. “What I did was wrong. I need to do the punishment. I know that. But I also need help. I need really, really — I need some help.”
@48hourscbs Detective Nick McCanless recalls "probably the most honest interview" he's ever had with a suspect after interviewing Connor Hilton, a teenager who had just shot two of his friends inside his Texas home. #texas #detective #news #truecrime ♬ original sound – 48 Hours
Hilton’s attorneys claim his medication, often referred to by the brand name Accutane, caused his erratic behaviors. Though no longer sold under the Accutane brand in the US, the active ingredient, isotretinoin, remains prevalent. It has a black box warning for depression, suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, violent behavior, and potential psychosis.
48 Hours correspondent Tracy Smith told KHOU that Hilton’s attorneys failed to make a gripping case for the isotretinoin defense in a pretrial hearing. A judge ruled it could not be used in his defense.
“They didn’t have much,” Smith told KHOU. “They could bring it up during sentencing, but when the prosecutor offered a plea deal, they seriously considered it. And, actually, this happened right after, like moments after, our interview with Connor and his parents. He was facing a possible life sentence.
“They offered a deal of 50 years if he pleaded guilty,” Smith added. “And so they discussed it, and he took the plea.”
According to court documents obtained by the New York Post, Hilton claimed he missed his dose of medication the day prior to the shooting and took double the isotretinoin the day of the shootings. The teen reportedly told police he’d been experiencing dangerous thoughts for months and convinced his mother to buy him a gun so he “could either shoot myself or shoot somebody.”
A judge recently awarded Ethan Riley’s parents, Matthew and Tara Riley, $60 million in a civil suit against Connor’s mother, Johnece Hilton. The court found her grossly negligent in not keeping the gun she purchased away from her son.
Hilton eventually pleaded guilty to murder and will spend the next 50 years of his life in prison. Was it really the medication that caused him to kill? We may never know.
