AUGUSTA, Maine (Associated Press) — A teenager who told authorities he “snapped” and killed his parents while struggling with gender identity and acceptance was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in prison.

Andrew Balcer, who was 17 at the time of the fatal stabbings, asked for forgiveness from his remaining family members, many of whom had called for the maximum penalty.

“I made a terrible mistake, one that cost the lives of the two people that gave me life and raised me,” Balcer said, according to The Kennebec Journal. “I am only here to ask for one thing: that is the forgiveness of my family.”

His attorney argued that the teenager was dealing with his transition from male to female in isolation and without family support at the time of the killings. He had no criminal record before the violence early on Oct. 31, 2016, in the family’s Winthrop home.

Continue reading this story >>

Become a Christian News Network Supporter...

Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed. May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!