Naman Shrestha
The Browning family was met with a brutal tragedy in February 2008, when they were killed in their Cockeysville, Maryland, house. The gruesome murders shook the entire community to its core, as their relatives found it hard to process the loss. The case was cracked open by the chilling confession from the perpetrator, who gave a detailed account of the fateful night. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs Of A Psychopath: It’s for You Guys To Find’ delves deep into the intricate details of the case and the swift investigation that followed.
John, Tamara, Gregory, and Benjamin Browning Were Killed in Their Sleep
On January 15, 1963, Harry and Margaret “Peg” Browning welcomed their son, John William Browning, into their lives. His childhood was seemingly packed with the love, laughter, and warmth of his loving parents and supportive siblings — Lee, Sally, and Victoria. John was a sharp-witted and intelligent individual who was determined to make a great life for himself. Through hard work and perseverance, he became a real estate lawyer. For nearly two decades, the attorney had been offering his services to Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid, LLP, an esteemed law firm based in Baltimore. He was also a devout Christian and served as the local church leader. In his downtime, John loved exploring the gifts of nature and took up every opportunity to be outdoors.
On the personal front, John had built a beautiful life as a doting husband and father of 3 in Cockeysville, Maryland. He was deeply committed to his wife, Tamara Ruth Browning (née Waggoner) AKA Tammy, and their three kids — Nicholas, Benjamin AKA Ben (1997), and Gregory AKA Greg (November 25, 1993). The love of his life hailed from the City of Fairfax, Virginia, where she was born to Kathryn and Harold “Hal” Waggoner on September 25, 1963. She also had a sister, Cindy Warnecki, and a brother, Michael. The devoted parents balanced their roles to give their kids the best life possible. While Tammy mainly managed the house and kids as a homemaker, John worked diligently as an attorney. Tammy and John were reputed members of the community.
As a scoutmaster, John often took his Boy Scout troop on experiences such as camping, rock climbing, and whitewater adventures. The pair also held fun gatherings for the parents of the scouts at their residence. They were proud of their kids and were raising them with immense love and care. Both Ben and Greg were students of Cockeysville Middle School in Cockeysville, Maryland. In the early hours of February 2, 2008, 45-year-old John, 44-year-old Tamara, 13-year-old Gregory, and 11-year-old Benjamin were ambushed and killed in their sleep. It wasn’t until a day later that their remains were found by the authorities on the evening of February 3. As they inspected the horrific crime scene, they didn’t notice any sign of confrontation. The medical examiner concluded that all of them died of gunshot wounds. Immediately, a quadruple homicide investigation was launched.
John, Tamara, Gregory, and Benjamin Browning’s Killer Was Related to Them
The authorities were called to the scene of the crime by the only remaining family member of the Brownings — 15-year-old Nicholas Waggoner Browning. As they questioned him as part of the investigation, they were shocked when the teenager ended up confessing to his crimes on February 3, 2008. According to Nicholas, he went to his friend’s house on the evening of February 1, but had asked his brother, Gregory, not to lock the basement door. After midnight, he entered the basement through the unlocked door, took a handgun belonging to his father, and headed upstairs.
He claimed that he first shot his father, John, who was sleeping on the couch on the first floor. As per his accounts, he then went to his mother’s room, where he shot her to death, before moving to his brothers’ room and killing them as well. Before heading back to his friend’s house, he discarded the murder weapon into the bushes nearby. After spending the day at his friend’s place, he was dropped off at his home on February 3 around 5 pm by his friend’s father. Nicholas came back outside after entering the house, telling the adult that his father was dead. When the detectives asked why he killed his brothers, he stated, “I thought if no one was there to say anything that my story would go, because I was the only one.” After his chilling confession, he was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Nicholas Waggoner Browning is Currently Incarcerated at a Maryland Prison Facility
On October 27, 2008, Nicholas Waggoner Browning pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, admitting that he killed his entire family while they were sleeping. The plea deal took the life imprisonment without parole sentence off the table. While he claimed that his father used to abuse him regularly, the prosecution argued that the reason behind killing his parents was that “he didn’t want anyone telling him what to do.” A couple of days before his sentencing hearing, Nicholas reportedly jokingly asked his friend to help him escape from prison over a jailhouse phone call.
During his sentencing hearing on January 23, 2009, he expressed his remorse through his attorneys, who read aloud his statement of apology to his relatives. In the statement, he stated, “I so badly want to take away your pain…My home life had become much more toxic to myself than I ever thought possible.” Nicholas was ultimately sentenced to four life terms in prison, with two of them to be served consecutively. A few years later, in 2014, his defense counsel filed a motion to have his sentence modified and reduced. Despite their arguments, the judge denied the request and upheld the original sentence. As of today, the 33-year-old killer is serving his sentence at Jessup Correctional Institution in Jessup, Maryland.
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