Nathon Brooks: Shooting, Guilty Plea, and Release Date

Nathon Brooks is the Moses Lake, Washington teenager who, at 14, shot both of his sleeping parents on the night of March 8, 2013, and was later tried as an adult. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault, was sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison, and is scheduled for release in 2028. Both parents survived, reconciled with him, and later appeared alongside him in a 2017 BBC Three documentary about the case.

The Night of the Shooting

On the evening of March 8, 2013, Brooks took a .22 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol from a locked gun case inside the family’s Grant County home. He loaded it and waited in his bedroom for roughly 90 minutes. Around 10 p.m. he walked into his parents’ bedroom and opened fire while they slept.¹

His mother, Elizabeth “Beth” Brooks, was hit beneath one eye, through a finger, and through an ear, leaving her with permanent hearing damage, vision problems, and lasting facial numbness. His father, Jonathon “Jon” Brooks, was shot multiple times, including in the forehead. Six rounds struck them between them.² Jon stayed conscious long enough to call 911, telling the dispatcher, “I woke up and we’d all been shot.” Beth’s neurologist later said she was the first patient he had seen survive such injuries and remain “walking and talking.”³

After firing, Brooks ran down the hallway and sat on the stairs. He later said that was when “it really clicked what I’d done.” Officers recorded him crying during his interview that night. When one called him a “good kid,” he answered, “Apparently not. I almost killed my parents.” Asked what he had meant to do when he pulled the trigger, he said, “What a gun does… kill.”³

What Set Him Off

Brooks has never offered a clean explanation. “I don’t know why,” he told police, and he has said much the same since. What is on the record is that earlier that day he had been grounded from video games and electronics after getting a detention for being late to class, and his father had told him he could not play in an upcoming basketball tournament. Brooks described the basketball restriction as the moment something gave way: “like the click.”⁴

He later said he had felt “frustrated” and believed his parents were taking away rights he “deserved.” He admitted thinking “it would be much better if they weren’t around to tell me what to do,” and described feeling severely depressed and “really vulnerable” at the time. “With everything for my brain to handle it was too much and I just snapped,” he said.⁴

A friend said Brooks had mentioned “multiple times” that his parents were strict. His defense attorney stated there was “no evidence of abuse at home,” and Brooks himself rejected any claim of physical abuse.³ Before the shooting he had no history of mental health diagnoses or behavioral problems. Parents, friends, and officers described him as a well-liked kid who did well in sports.

Mental Health Before and After

After entering custody, Brooks was initially assessed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder, ADHD, and possible Bipolar disorder. Those findings were later revised. His current diagnosis is Major Depressive Disorder. Shanna Shultz, the therapist who observed him over several years in prison, reported no evidence of personality disorders, antisocial traits, or psychosis.³ Brooks has said of the diagnosis, “I’m not crazy or an animal… The diagnosis has brought a lot to light.”²

Charged as an Adult

Brooks was first charged in Grant County Juvenile Court with two counts of attempted murder in the first degree.⁵ The prosecution moved to transfer him to adult court, arguing that the juvenile system would guarantee his release at 21. Prosecutor Angus Lee said an adult conviction carried “a minimum of 40 years in prison, up to about 50 years.”³

In December 2013, visiting Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss granted the transfer. In January 2014, adult charges were filed in Grant County Superior Court: two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.¹ Brooks appealed. In June 2014, a state appellate court affirmed the transfer.⁶

Guilty Plea and Sentence

On February 25, 2015, Brooks pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault, a reduced charge from the original attempted murder counts. Judge Hotchkiss sentenced him to 15 and a half years in prison, followed by 10 years of mandated mental health evaluations after release.⁷

The prosecution had declined the parents’ request to keep the case in juvenile court, citing the need for “adequate protection for the community.” The plea reflected a compromise. Judge Hotchkiss acknowledged that the victims did not want their son “judged too harshly,” said the sentence “didn’t need to be the end of the boy’s future,” and stated his view that Brooks could use the resources of the corrections system to rebuild his life. The judge also observed that Brooks appeared to have had mental health problems before the attack.⁷

Jon Brooks addressed the court directly: “We just wanted the court to know, we do very much love our son.” He said his time with Nathon in the two years since the shooting had shown him that a person’s “thought process can easily be affected.”⁸

Where the Family Stands Now

Both Jon and Beth were diagnosed with PTSD. Jon has described “many, many, many sleepless nights” and recurring nightmares, and the couple moved to a new home to put distance between themselves and the memories. He has said he will “probably never understand” why his son shot them.³

They have kept a relationship with Nathon through the sentence. They visit him in prison and have expressed forgiveness, while describing each day as an “emotional struggle.” Beth said, “I’m glad that we didn’t die, just for Nathon. So that Nathon never has to carry that.” Both have said they believed their son needed to be punished and that “we couldn’t provide the treatment that Nathon needed. The court could provide that.”³ The family’s reconciliation was the subject of the 2017 BBC Three documentary I Shot My Parents, which featured interviews with Nathon in prison, both parents, his therapist, his lawyer, and the prosecutor.⁹

Release Date and Supervision

Brooks is serving his sentence in Washington’s prison system and is scheduled for release in 2028, at age 29.² After release, he will remain under 10 years of court-ordered mental health evaluations.⁷

1
Washington Courts. Adult Charges Filed Against Moses Lake Boy
2
Mirror. Parents Visit Teenage Son in Prison
3
BBC. I Shot My Parents
4
NZ Herald. US Teen Who Shot His Parents Reveals the Trigger That Made Him Snap
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YourSourceOne. Hearing Set for Nathon Brooks to Determine if He Is Tried as an Adult
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Columbia Basin Herald. Brooks Trial Extended Until Next Year
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YourSourceOne. Nathon Brooks Sentenced to 15 Years for Shooting His Parents
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NBC Right Now. Moses Lake Teen Gets 15 Years for Shooting Parents
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BBC. I Shot My Parents