Boy Hears Charges In Grandparents’ Deaths

A boy accused of killing his grandparents in Hardin remained in custody without bond Friday after an initial court appearance.

Jonathon Vandersloot, 17, appeared in district court on murder charges in the deaths of Charles and Bonnie Vandersloot, found shot to death in their bed Aug. 9. Because of the seriousness of the charges, the teenager will be treated as an adult in court.

He was arrested in Sundance, Wyo., a week after the bodies were found. A deputy sheriff in Wyoming saw Vandersloot in a pickup truck missing from the grandparents’ home.

A motive for the killings has not been determined, said Curtis Bevolden, deputy county attorney for Big Horn County.

Vandersloot did not speak or show emotion during his appearance before District Judge Robert Holmstrom on Friday, and was returned to the Yellowstone County youth detention center afterward. Vandersloot’s parents and an aunt were in the courtroom.