The saying goes that what’s done in the dark must come to light. When it came to the murder of a 34-year-old Wisconsin man, that dark deed came to light when a receipt from a food delivery led police to the person they believe took his life. The accused is the victim’s 12-year-old neighbor.
Being that the unnamed boy might have been the last person authorities questioned, it’s amazing that this discovery ever happened in the first place.
More from CafeMom: Teen Who Allegedly Killed His Girlfriend & 2 Others During Home Invasion Charged as Adult
Brandon Felton's cousin went to check on him when phone calls and texts to him went unanswered.
The investigation into Felton’s death began when his cousin visited his home, according to NBC News. Felton’s cousin hadn’t heard from him in several days and went to check on him.
At his home, the trunk of Felton’s car was wide open and his door was unlocked. Inside, the cousin discovered Felton’s body in a pool of blood, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Later, investigators determined that he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
They also found something interesting near a spent shell casing at the crime scene: a receipt for pizza delivery.
“Police located a receipt in the living room on an end table (the same end table where the aforementioned casing was found),” the complaint reads, according to NBC News. “That receipt was for a ‘Domino’s Pizza’ order which showed an order for food was placed by ‘Brandy.’” The receipt also listed a phone number.
Felton and the boy apparently played video games together.
A detective called the phone number and a “young-sounding male” answered, according to NBC News. The person denied knowing anyone named Brandy and hung up. The same day police discovered Felton’s body, the boy’s mother took her son to speak to authorities. The minor and Felton were neighbors and often played video games together.
During questioning, the boy told police his grandmother told him about Felton’s death, but the boy’s story changed several times.
“The defendant then continuously stated that he did not order food that night and has never ordered food from Felton’s house,” the complaint noted. “He claimed he had no idea about the pizza and that Felton never used his phone to order food.”
Authorities showed the boy the receipt found at the residence and asked him if he knew what happened to Felton. The boy claimed he didn’t know, despite saying that his grandmother told him of Felton’s death.
The boy said Felton's friend 'Sam' killed him.
Eventually, the boy admitted he was at Felton’s home with a friend of Felton’s named “Sam” when Felton was killed. He said “Sam” shot Felton in the back of the head. The boy said after Felton’s friend shot him, he went to Felton’s bedroom and took an AR-15 and a shotgun.
Later, the boy’s mother told police that her son lied.
“He and his friends went to Felton’s residence to buy Felton’s guns. Felton was not going to sell the guns and then the Defendant and his friends went to Felton’s to take the guns,” the complaint reads, per NBC News.
Police found incriminating text messages on the boy's phone.
In addition to his own confession, a search warrant for the boy’s phone produced incriminating text messages from March 9. In them, the boy wrote that he has a “play,” which is slang for robbery. The play was for the shotgun and a “chop,” which is slang for the AR-15 rifle.
In other text messages, the boy wrote, “I’m gonna do it to Brandan” and “Or should I kill him rm (a typo for rn, right now.)
The boy will be tried as an adult.
In Wisconsin, any child older than 10 charged with homicide initially will be tried as an adult, said the boy’s lawyer, Katie Holtz, per NBC News. Later, his representation can request that the court transfer the case back to juvenile court.
Right now, the boy faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, the Journal Sentinel reported.
A $100,000 bond was set and the boy is likely being held at the county’s juvenile detention center, according to NBC News. It was not clear whether anyone else has been charged.
