By Palm Beach & Broward Mugshots LLC
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — On the night of July 16, 2011, teenagers crowded into a Port St. Lucie home for a party. Music played, people drank and dozens of guests moved through the house.
Most had no idea that the homeowner’s parents were dead inside a locked bedroom just feet away.
Earlier that day, 17-year-old Tyler Hadley had killed his parents, 54-year-old Blake Hadley and 47-year-old Mary-Jo Hadley, with a claw hammer inside the family’s home.
Investigators said Hadley concealed their bodies in the master bedroom and covered them with household items. He then attempted to clean the home before allowing the party to begin.
Approximately 60 people reportedly attended.
As the party continued, Hadley pulled aside his friend Michael Mandell and confessed to killing his parents.
Mandell initially did not believe him. Hadley then unlocked the master-bedroom door and showed him what was inside.
Mandell eventually left the house and contacted authorities. Port St. Lucie police arrived during the early morning hours of July 17, discovered the bodies and arrested Hadley.
The case stunned the Treasure Coast—not only because of the murders, but because Hadley continued with the party while his parents remained hidden inside the home.
Investigators later learned that Hadley had discussed killing his parents with friends before the crime. Prosecutors maintained that the murders were planned rather than the result of a sudden confrontation.
In 2014, Hadley pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon.
He initially received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Because Hadley was a juvenile when the murders occurred, an appellate court later ordered a new sentencing proceeding under evolving constitutional rules governing life sentences for juveniles.
Following a six-day resentencing hearing, a judge again sentenced Hadley to life in prison in December 2018. The court heard testimony concerning his mental health, substance use, capacity for rehabilitation and the calculated nature of the murders.
The new sentence provides for judicial review after 25 years. That review, expected around 2039, does not guarantee his release. A judge will determine whether the sentences should remain in place.
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Where Is Tyler Hadley Now?
Fifteen years after the murders, Florida Department of Corrections records list Tyler J. Hadley as serving a life sentence at Liberty Correctional Institution.
Hadley, now 32, is classified as a close-custody inmate. His official record lists no release date and states simply: “Sentenced to Life.”
The family home where Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley were killed was demolished in 2015, but the crime remains one of the most disturbing and widely remembered cases in Treasure Coast history.
A house filled with teenagers. Two parents hidden behind a locked door. And a party that continued until someone finally alerted police.
All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Tyler Hadley pleaded no contest and was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder.
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