A peaceful Florida community was shocked after news spread of two young sisters who murdered their teen brother in cold blood as he slept. However, the girls allege they had a good reason to kill their older brother.

Nicole and Misty “Ariel” Renee Kornegay (Photo Credit: Columbia County Sheriff’s Office)

Misty “Ariel” Renee Kornegay was just 15 years old when she fatally shot her older brother Damien with the help of her 11-year-old sister Nicole in White Springs, Florida, while their parents were out-of-town, CBS 47 Action News reported. According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Ariel retrieved a 9mm handgun from her parents’ bedroom, then shot a sleeping 16-year-old Damien in the neck, with Nicole assisting Ariel in the murder.

After killing their brother, the two girls walked to a nearby Dollar General, leaving a 3-year-old sister in the house with Damien’s body for four hours. Once they reached the store, Nicole called a friend’s mother and told her they had run away from home, according to Fox News. The police were called and quickly arrived to talk to the girls. When Ariel initially spoke with police, she was vague about the details but said there had been a shooting at her home.

Damien Kornegay (Photo Credit: Facebook)

“At first we didn’t know what had happened,” Detective Cecil Brownfield explained, “The officer was very compassionate with the girls. They had put them in the break room at the Dollar General store to keep them comfortable. We were mainly worried about their safety.” Before long, Ariel confessed to killing her brother, but she claimed to have had a good reason.

First, Ariel told police that Damien had beaten her earlier in the night, then locked her in her room. She said that her sister unlocked the door, and that’s when she got the gun. But, there was so much more to the story than just one random beating. Soon, police uncovered a list of sickening acts surrounding this case. In fact, according to PennLive, Ariel had been the victim of abuse at her home for years before killing her brother.

The Kornegay home (Photo Credit: YouTube)

The case raised serious concerns about the Florida Department of Children and Families and how it responded to the Kornegay family’s history of abuse after it was realized that Kevin Kornegay, Ariel’s uncle, was serving a life prison term for abusing the girl at the time she murdered her brother. The abuse by the uncle allegedly occurred when Ariel was just 11 years old and younger, and what Ariel told investigators is downright horrific.

According to the young girl, her uncle forced her to do unimaginable things — which he videotaped over a period of almost two years, the Florida Times-Union revealed. But, the abuse didn’t end when her uncle went to jail. Seven months after Kevin Kornegay was arrested, sheriff’s deputies were called to the Kornegay home over claims that Damien was engaging in disturbing acts with Ariel. According to police, these sick activities had “started with Kevin,” but the abuse didn’t end with Kevin or with Damien either.

Misty and Kieth Kornegay (Photo Credit: Columbia County Sheriff’s Office)

Keith and Misty Kornegay, the children’s parents, were also accused of imprisoning the 15-year-old girl in an empty bedroom for weeks on end with nothing but a blanket and a bucket to use as a toilet. They tried to excuse it as a form of punishment, telling investigators the teen had behavioral issues such as “talking back” and stealing. But, it’s unclear when the supposed behavioral issues began or whether they were connected to the prolonged abuse.

According to neighbors, the children were left home alone often, without any parental supervision, during which times loud, profane arguing was heard coming from inside the home. Keith, a 37-year-old long-haul trucker, often went on the road with his 33-year-old wife Misty, resulting in their absence from the home. While the pair were gone, as they were the day Ariel shot her brother, they left Damien the key to Ariel’s bedroom prison. On the day of his death, Damien locked Ariel in the room, forbidding her from taking a shower.

Damien Kornegay (Photo Credit: Facebook)

Initially, the two girls were charged with premeditated murder and held without bond in separate juvenile detention facilities. But, after taking into account the history of abuse, prosecutors only charged Ariel with burglary. She was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty. Nicole Kornegay was not charged with a crime. Their parents, however, faced felony child abuse and neglect charges. They were able to avoid prison when they took a plea deal, according to WJAX-TV.