Teen charged with beating parents to death

updated 1:09 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2008

LOGANVILLE, Ga. - Police have charged an 18-year-old college student with killing his parents.

Darryl Spearman, 55, and Cherri Spearman 52, were found dead in their Loganville home by relatives on Friday. Investigators said they were beaten to death.

Their son, Joshua Spearman, was charged with two counts of murder on Saturday. Spearman, a freshman at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, was being held without bail.

Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman said authorities had received "domestic-type" calls about Joshua Spearman in the past, but he declined to give any details because the suspect was a juvenile then.

An official at Walton County Jail said Sunday that he had no information on whether Joshua Spearman had an attorney and only could confirm that the teenager was at the jail. He referred questions to Chief Deputy Bruce Wright, who did not immediately respond to a message for comment.

Darryl Spearman was an assistant principal at Stone Mountain Middle School, authorities said.

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