http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/teen-charged-killing-parents-calif-mansion-planned-attack-wanted-kill-siblings-prosecutors-article-1.1717531Teen accused of killing parents in California mansion planned attack, wanted to kill siblings: prosecutor
Ashton Sachs, 19, is charged with murdering his parents, Bradford and Andra Sachs, as they slept in their bed on Feb. 9. Prosecutors said he drove more than 1,100 miles from Seattle to Southern California with the intention of killing his family.
By Philip Caulfield / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 9:45 AM
Orange County Sheriff's Department/AP
Ashton Sachs, 19, is held without bail in an Orange County, Calif., jail after being accused of shooting both his parents in the early hours of Feb.9.
His parents were just the start.
A California teen who shot and killed his mom and dad as they slept in their multimillion-dollar mansion last month intended to kill every family member in the house, including his 8-year-old brother, prosecutors said.
Ashton Sachs, 19, was arrested Thursday after a month-long investigation into the deaths of Bradford Sachs, 57, and Andra Sachs, 54, who were found fatally shot in the bedroom of their ritzy home in San Juan Capistrano, a city between Los Angeles and San Diego.
During the attack, Sachs also opened fire on his 17-year-old sister and 8-year-old brother, missing the girl but hitting the little boy.The boy is now paralyzed, authorities said.
Orange County prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh said Sachs drove from Seattle to Southern California with the intention of killing his parents and his siblings.
On Monday, Orange County Prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh said Sachs had planned the brutal attack for months.
"This was not something that happened at the spur of the moment or in the heat of passion," Baytieh said at a press conference, according to local KTLA-TV.
"This is a horrendous crime involving an adult man who decided to murder and kill the people who loved him the most, and the people who were supporting him."
Sachs was attending community college in Seattle at the time, and he drove nearly 1,200 miles through Washington state and California before sneaking into his family's $3.5 million mansion sometime after midnight on Feb. 9, investigators said.
Andra and Bradford Sachs were reportedly sleeping when gunned down by their son, Ashton Sachs, 19, early on Feb. 9.
Using a gun he bought on his own, he shot his parents as they slept and then opened fire on his adopted little brother, who was in his bedroom, prosecutor said.
He then fired at one of his two sisters who were home at the time, missing her, before fleeing the house.
Baytieh said he took a flight back to the Washington after the attack.In the weeks after the slayings, Sachs and his siblings were interviewed by police, but investigators found few clues that suggested the second-oldest son was the triggerman.
After a month-long investigation, police tracked the teen down in the San Diego area, where he and his older brother, Myles, had applied for guardianship of their two younger siblings, the Orange County Register reported.The Saches were business partners who started tech companies together. The palatial home where they were found shot to death is worth $3.5 million and has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms in a ritzy part of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Investigators said they spoke with Sachs "at length" during the subsequent questioning and arrest, but have not revealed what he told them.
Bradford Sachs and Andra Sachs were entrepreneurial business partners who started tech companies and owned several homes around the country, investigators said.
The investigation into their deaths was complicated at first because they apparently had "a long list of people" that did not like them, Orange County sheriff's investigator Justin Montano told the Register last week.On Monday, Baytieh said he didn't believe the killings were motivated by money.
Sachs was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, but the hearing was postponed until April 4.
He was being held without bail at the Central Men's Jail in Orange County. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.