Defense attorney William C. Brennan Jr. told the judge that he will ask him to recommend Browning for the Patuxent Institution, a maximum-security facility in Jessup that offers a program for youthful offenders that features more education and treatment options than the state's prisons.
Randall Nero, a psychologist and Patuxent's director, said the program accepts inmates under the age of 21 who suffer from "some intellectual or emotional imbalance" and likely would benefit from treatment. The facility has its own parole board, which requires seven of the nine members to agree before an inmate can be released.
Although Patuxent is not obligated by state law - the way the Maryland Parole Commission is - to require inmates convicted of violent crimes to serve half their sentences before they get a parole hearing, Nero said it is the policy of the institution's review board to do the same. In addition, the governor still must approve the release of inmates serving life sentences at Patuxent, he said.
Those who knew the Browning family expressed conflicting feelings on the case and Nicholas Browning's likely sentence.
"It's a huge tragedy, but I'm not going to say I want the kid to be in jail for the rest of his life," said Brian Snyder, owner of a Towson deli and a client of John Browning's. "There's other people who are out who maybe need to be in jail longer than he will. It's a lose-lose for everyone."
Haynes, who lived across the street from the Brownings, said it has taken the children at Cockeysville Middle a long time to recover.
"It's really tough for them. A lot of kids were very confused and unsure," she said. "It's easier to think, 'Oh, a stranger has done that.' But this was someone the kids knew; it was somebody's brother. It's difficult for them and left them wondering, 'Am I safe? Is someone in my family going to do that?' "
The Rev. Bill Brown, who for seven years led the church that the Browning family attended before he took a position this summer with another congregation, said he hopes the resolution of the case will bring a measure of comfort to those who knew them.
"My hope and prayer is just that there would be healing for the family and for the community," he said.
Sun reporter Nick Madigan contributed to this article.
BROWNING TIMELINE
Feb. 2: John W. Browning, 45, his wife, Tamara Browning, 44, and their two youngest sons, Gregory, 14, and Benjamin, 11, are fatally shot in their sleep in their Cockeysville home.
