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Teen convicted of murder on newsman’s ranch

Jurors on Tuesday convicted a 16-year-old in the deaths of his family on ABC newsman Sam Donaldson’s ranch. Cody Posey was accused of killing his father, stepmother and stepsister and hiding their bodies in a manure pile.
/ Source: The Associated Press

Jurors on Tuesday convicted a 16-year-old in the deaths of his family on newsman Sam Donaldson’s ranch.

Cody Posey was accused of killing his father, stepmother and stepsister and hiding their bodies in a manure pile. The defense claimed the deaths were self-defense and that he had suffered years of physical and mental abuse.

Posey also was convicted of four counts of evidence tampering. He hung his head and wept briefly as the verdicts were read, and defense attorney Gary Mitchell offered consolation by putting an arm on Posey’s shoulder.

The teen was arrested a few days after the bodies of his father and stepmother, Paul and Tryone Posey, and his stepsister, 13-year-old Mary Lee Schmid, were found on Donaldson’s Chavez Canyon Ranch in July 2004. The elder Posey was the ranch’s manager.