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Palos Park Teen Charged in Murder of Parents

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 13, 2011 3:45PM

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John Granat
A 17-year-old Palos Park teen has been charged with the murder of his parents. John Granat is expected to appear in bond court in Bridgeview this morning.

Granat is charged with two counts first-degree murder in the beating deaths of his father, also named John Granat, and his mother Maria Granat. Granat placed a 911 call Sunday morning saying his parents were dead. An autopsy revealed the elder John Granat died of multiple blunt force injuries, while Maria Granat was also beaten and stabbed to death.

As with many of these stories, neighbors reacted to the news with shock and horror and told reporters the Granats seemed like a model family. Linda Falkenburg, whose family lived behind the Granats for 10 years, told the Tribune, "I can't imagine why anyone would do something like this." The Cook County Sheriff's Department hasn't revealed a motive for the murders.