Chicago Area Local News

HAMMOND, Ind. (CBS) ― Two teenagers charged in connection with the murder of the parents of CLTV talk show host Garrard McClendon beat the couple, tied them up and left them in a closet in their Hammond home, police said on Monday.

Those new details emerged at a Monday afternoon news conference at the Hammond police headquarters.

The teens were able to enter the home by convincing the couple that they needed to use the phone because they were having car trouble. The pair at one point left the home and later came back to "finish" the job, police said.

The teens charged are Reo Jonta Thompson, 17, of the 900 block of Morris Street in Hammond, and Gregory Brooks Jr., 18, of the 800 block of East Highland Street in Hammond.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports that prosecutors announced nine charges against the two teenagers being held in connection with the deaths of Milton and Ruby McClendon.

The young men are currently charged with robbery, burglary, confinement and auto theft. If they're convicted of those crimes they could be sent to prison for more than 100 years.

Still, as of now, they're not charged with murder.

But three days after his officers picked up the two teens, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart seemed certain that his department is holding two killers behind bars.

"We are very confident with the people that are in custody right now," Dart said. 

"We're in the first quarter of a four-quarter investigation. We have a ton of physical evidence to go through," said Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller. "We have more statements to take. We're looking for additional people that were riding around in the McClendons' stolen car."

The two men are currently being held in Cook County Jail, but will be transferred from Chicago to Hammond to face charges.

Garrard McClendon and his brothers showed up at the news conference. They say they're pleased with the pace of the investigation. McClendon is hopeful that justice will prevail.

When asked if he believes that the two people currently in custody killed his parents, McClendon said, "It's a strong possibility. I don't have an expectation. I'm keeping my mind clear and open right now."

Police refused to discuss additional details about the McClendons' deaths. The couple was found shot to death in Calumet City last week.

Murder charges have not been filed, but the slain couple's son, Theodore McClendon, said officials are still pursuing homicide charges.

"It's a jurisdictional thing," he said. "It's probably going to be done, but it's a formality because they want to make sure things are absolutely what they appear."

Along with Hammond Police, Cook County deputies on Friday detained and questioned the two teens.

The teens were being held at the Markham Sheriff's facility. They were taken to the Cook County Criminal Courthouse, 2600 S. California Ave. on Monday, for extradition to Indiana.

The suspects, who have been in custody since Friday, were positively identified as being seen in Milton and Ruby McClendon's car, a source told the Sun-Times.

Sources say at least one of the teen suspects in the incident knew their victims – one suspect is from Hammond, where Milton McClendon, 76, and his wife Ruby, 74, lived.

Investigators are trying to determine whether one or both of them pulled the trigger; during questioning, each teen was blaming the other for killing the McClendons, a source said Saturday.

Witnesses told police they saw the two suspects attempting to sell property stolen from the couple's home at pawn shops in the days after the killings, sources have said. The teens also were spotted at several other businesses in northwest Indiana riding in the victims' car, a source said Saturday. 

Malcolm Turner grew up on the same Hammond block as Thompson, and remembers often hanging out and playing basketball with him.

"I can't believe that he did that 'cause he was real cool. He wasn't nothing like that. To me, I don't think he did it," said Turner.

The couple was found shot to death on Monday of last week in a Calumet City forest preserve. Their stolen Cadillac Eldorado was later found abandoned on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

According to the probable cause affidavit, both suspects say a third man named "Kevin Langley" was involved and actually led the way into the home at gunpoint. But police called "Kevin's" existence into question and said he definitely was not involved in the crime.

On Sunday, more than 100 neighbors and friends gathered outside the McClendons' home. The vigil was originally scheduled to pray for the suspects' capture, but it went on even after Hammond Police said two suspects were in custody.

"Even though being apprehended is a consolation that they're not out there, on the other hand, the sadness is it doesn't bring the McClendons back."

Meanwhile, Ruby and Milton McClendon were laid to rest on Monday. Their funeral was held Monday morning at St. Paul Episcopal Church in Munster, Ind.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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