Iowa teen stabs parents to death to “take charge of his life”

An Iowa teenager allegedly stabbed his parents to death – and then told cops he carried out the killings to “take charge of his life.”

Police found 17-year-old Ethan Alexander Orton covered in blood outside his family’s Cedar Rapids home early Thursday morning after responding to a 911 call about strange noises coming from the residence.

The teen confessed at the scene to fatally stabbing his 41-year-mother, Misty Scott Slade, and 42-year-old father, Casey Orton, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Gazette.

He allegedly told officers that he used an axe to finish off his mother after she appeared to have survived the initial stabbing.

Orton also offered a bizarre explanation for the cold-blooded killings, telling cops he committed them to “take charge of his life.”

Police found the parents’ bodies inside the home.

Orton has been charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder.

His bail was set at $2 million cash-only during his initial court appearance on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a community is struggling to come to terms with the horror of what just happened in its midst.

“It’s very sad … Just hard to stomach,” neighbor Jean Garett told The Gazette. “They were generous people. Misty always had pumpkins for Halloween. They would decorate the house and have (spooky) noises. I can’t imagine this happening.”