Mason Sisk was just 14 years old when he did something that shocked the whole country—he shot and killed his father, stepmother, and three young siblings while they were asleep in their home. People described the crime as pure evil.
Mason lived in a small town called Elkmont, Alabama, with around 500 people. His dad John was 38 and loved motorbikes. He worked at a car dealership and used to be a hair stylist. His stepmother Mary was 35, worked with special needs children, and was about to start a PhD. Mason’s biological mom had passed away, and Mary had been raising him since he was four years old, treating him like her own child. The couple had three young kids together: Grayson (who was also called Kane), 6 years old; Aurora (or Rorrie), 4 years old; and baby Colson, just six months old.
Even though Mary wasn’t Mason’s biological mother, she loved and cared for him as if he were her own. Her teacher profile online said she had a happy marriage and four beautiful children.
In the months leading up to the killings, Mason had started acting out. He broke into his school and caused damage. Some people said he had been cruel to animals, even using fire. But at the same time, he helped babysit his siblings and was seen as a quiet, nerdy kid.
On September 2, 2019, the family had just come back from a trip to Florida. Later that night, around 11 p.m., Mason called 911, saying he had heard gunshots while playing video games in the basement. He told police he ran outside and saw a car leaving.
When officers arrived, they found something horrifying: John, Mary, and the three kids had all been shot in the head while they slept. John and Grayson were still alive when they were found but died later in the hospital. Mary, Aurora, and Colson were already dead.
Police were confused—how could this happen in such a quiet town, and how did Mason survive when everyone else didn’t? One officer even said something seemed off about him. Mason was taken in for questioning and kept denying he did anything. But eventually, he admitted to the murders and showed officers where he had thrown the gun, which he had stolen while on the Florida trip.
When asked why he did it, he said he was tired of the arguments at home and felt the kids were suffering. He calmly apologized to the officers for lying. Investigators also believed he had once tried to poison Mary by putting peanut butter in her coffee, knowing she was allergic.
During his time in detention, Mason never spoke about his family and showed no signs of feeling bad. It was hard for people to believe a 14-year-old could do something so terrible just because he was upset—and then feel nothing afterward.
The children were each shot once, except for baby Colson, who was shot twice. They were buried in four coffins, with Colson placed in his mother’s arms.
Because Mason was under 18 at the time, he couldn’t be given the death penalty. Still, due to the nature of the crime, he was tried as an adult. His first trial in 2022 ended in a mistrial after new evidence was found on Mary’s phone. The second trial began later. Prosecutors said he had issues with anger and had planned the killings. They also mentioned problems between Mason and his dad, and that he had extended his anger to everyone in the house.
He had also been messaging a girl he was dating, telling her disturbing things from jail. In one message, he bragged that he killed his family in under four seconds with all shots to the head. He even said he wanted to become a hitman.
Before calling 911 the night of the murders, Mason had called his girlfriend four times. The jury learned that baby Colson died in his mother’s arms.
In April, Mason was found guilty of four counts of capital murder. At the sentencing, Mary’s brother spoke about how the family had accepted Mason and treated him like one of their own, and how heartbroken they were. He said the pain from what happened never went away.
In September 2023, Mason, now 18, was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of release. The judge said there was no sign Mason was mentally ill and described the killings as horrifying and full of evil.
After the trial, the prosecutor said Mason was one of the few people who truly scared him. Mason showed no emotion when the verdict was read and still hasn’t expressed any regret for what he did. His lawyers plan to appeal, saying he was pressured into confessing and only repeated what the officers told him.
Now, the quiet teenager who once lived in a small Alabama town is spending the rest of his life behind bars, saying nothing about the terrible crime he committed.
