Police: 16-year-old admits killing father, dumping body in pond

Shooting occurred in Bel Air

man's body dumped in Aberdeen

In court filings in a child support dispute, Richardson Jr. reported he made $12,925.80 annually — about $5,000 of which came from unemployment payments. He wrote that he had an eighth-grade education and was weighed down by more than $20,000 in medical bills stemming from his wife's cancer.

Property records show that he bought the house in 2005 from a relative at no charge.

On Tuesday, the Richardsons' home was surrounded by crime-scene tape. In contrast to nearby well-kept houses, the roof was in need of repair, and there was a car and fresh vehicle tracks in the front lawn. Next to the house is a scenic pond filled with geese, and down the block is the private Harford Day School.

Neighbors said the family members kept to themselves.

The angry quarrels would flare up from time to time and then die down, Cullum said. Sometimes months of quiet could go by, only to be followed by summers of shouting nearly every night, the neighbor said.

Still, neighbors said the violence Monday night came as a surprise.

"I'm completely shocked," said Nicole Testerman, 27. "It's Bel Air; you don't expect that type of crime here. It's upsetting. He's 16. What drove him to do that?"

Aegis reporter Kayla Bawroski contributed to this article.

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