Teen pleads not guilty to family murders

Jessica Barnett, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·1 min read

Apr. 30—An Elkmont teen accused of murdering his father, stepmother and three siblings has pleaded not guilty in the case, records show. A trial date has been tentatively set for November.

Mason Wayne Sisk, now 16, was 14 when the five family members were shot in their shared home in the 25000 block of Ridge Road in Elkmont. The Limestone County Sheriff's Office said at the time that Sisk called 911 around 11 p.m. to report the gunfire in his home and later confessed that he had fired the gun himself.

He was indicted in February on four counts of capital murder — one for each of his siblings and another for his father and stepmother. The five victims ranged in age from 6 months to 38 years.

Defense attorneys for Sisk say that since his arrest, he has primarily been kept in solitary confinement at the Limestone County Detention Center, "due to his age and vulnerability with the general population." They had requested he be moved back to a juvenile facility, but the request was denied.

Sisk's step-grandmother, Denise Prater, told The News Courier's news partner WAFF-48 that it's still hard to wrap her head around the idea that Sisk killed her daughter, son-in-law and three of her grandchildren.

"We're hoping that Mason will ... get the help he needs," Prater told WAFF-48. "We're still flabbergasted, you know, of course, but you can't just turn off unconditional love."

Limestone County Circuit Judge Robert Baker set Sisk's jury trial to begin Nov. 1.

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