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Connor Hilton pleads guilty to murder
Connor Lynn Hilton, a Friendswood man who was 17 when he fatally shot one friend and injured another, has pleaded guilty to his crimes.
GALVESTON, Texas - Connor Lynn Hilton, a Friendswood man who was 17 when he fatally shot one friend and injured another, has pleaded guilty to his crimes.
Hilton, now 21, accepted 50 years' prison time for the Dec. 23, 2023 shooting.
Connor Hilton pleads guilty
What's new:
Tuesday, Hilton waived his right to trial and pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated assault.
The decision came less than a week before his trial was set to begin on Sept. 8.
Hilton agreed to a 50-year prison sentence for the murder charge, and 20 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The sentences will run concurrently.
2023 murder of Ethan Riley
Connor Hilton
The backstory:
Hilton is accused of shooting two of his friends in the head at his Friendswood home the day before Christmas Eve in 2023, according to documents. The then-17-year-old was charged as an adult in the case.
Records say the shots killed 18-year-old Ethan Riley and severely injured now-21-year-old Brian Bliek. Bliek testified in the court proceedings.
Connor Hilton murder case: Did acne medicine drive the teen to kill? Judge denies defense request
FOX 26 has learned that the judge in the trial against Connor Hilton has denied the defense's request to have a psychiatrist testify at trial that acne medicine caused a psychotic break. That announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials received a 911 call from someone who was hiding in a bathroom, heard two gunshots, and said there were other people inside the home, court records say.
When authorities arrived, they approached Hilton, who has been found to have shot the teens.
The witness told police he reported hearing Hilton walk by the bathroom door crying and saying, "What have I done?"
Riley was found on the bathroom floor and Bliek was lying on his back toward the rear of the home, documents say.
Officers said it appeared both victims had gunshot wounds to their heads.
Connor Hilton Accutane defense
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Request denied claiming acne medication caused psychosis
Did an acne medicine drive a Friendswood teenager to kill? That's the theory Connor Hilton's defense pushed in court on Monday. However, a Galveston County judge shut that down on Tuesday.
Dig deeper:
During a hearing last week, a witness for the defense, Dr. James Douglas Bremner said, in his opinion, an acne medication marketed as Accutane caused or contributed to Hilton's mental state.
The defense said Hilton had been taking the medicine to treat acne that caused large, painful cysts and bleeding across his body.
They say he had been on the medication since July 2022, and on the day of the shootings, he took four 80-milligram pills, which was more than what was prescribed.
The judge struck down the defense request, and Bremner was not to be allowed to testify at the Sept. 8 trial.
The Source: Information in this update comes from Jack Roady, Galveston County Criminal District Attorney.