Nathan Brooks is the Ohio man who, at 17, shot and decapitated his father and stabbed his mother to death inside their Bellaire home on September 30, 1995. He was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder in 1996, sentenced to life with parole eligibility, and remains incarcerated at the London Correctional Institution. On December 10, 2025, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority denied his first bid for release. His next parole review is set for 2035.1Times Leader. Notorious Bellaire Murderer Denied Parole2Ohio DRC. Offender Search – Nathan John Brooks, A337726
What Happened on September 30, 1995
Brooks killed his parents, Terry Brooks, 53, and Marilyn Brooks, 52, inside the family’s Bellaire home. He shot his father and then used a hacksaw to decapitate him, placing the severed head in a punch bowl. He stabbed his mother to death.1Times Leader. Notorious Bellaire Murderer Denied Parole Early the next morning, Brooks’s brother Ryan found the bodies and called police.3The Intelligencer. Convicted Bellaire Double Murderer Nathan Brooks Denied Parole Officers arrested Nathan along Riggs Road shortly afterward.
The Kill List
When investigators searched Brooks’s bedroom, they recovered a handwritten list of 16 people he planned to kill, with 13 legible first names. His brother Ryan was listed first, with the notations “Dismember. Decapitate.” written beside his name. “Mother” and “Father” appeared second and third, marked “Eviscerate, crucify” and “Decapitate.” Other names carried notations such as “Skin” and “Dismember, eviscerate.” The same page included sketches of Satan and a pentagram, along with the phrase “Satan will show you peace.”4Weelunk. The Night Nathan Brooks Canceled Halloween
Police initially told the public that rumors of a hit list were false. The list was later introduced at trial, and expert witnesses testified that the unplanned timing of the killings may have saved the lives of the other people named on it.4Weelunk. The Night Nathan Brooks Canceled Halloween
The Satanic Element
Brooks professed to worship Satan at the time of the killings, and the occult details earned him the local nicknames “Devil in Bellaire” and “Dark Prince of Belmont County.”5WTOV9. Notorious Devil in Bellaire Seeks Parole After 30 Years for Horrific Double Murder Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack, who as a young deputy was assigned to guard Brooks during court transports, later said Brooks would alternate between English and what Zusack described as fluent Latin. Zusack said Brooks also told him directly, “You know, I’d like to kill you.”6FOX 8. Ohio Man Who Murdered Parents Set To Go Before Parole Board
Trial and Life Sentence
Because Brooks was 17 when he killed his parents, the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office moved the case from juvenile court to the adult division of the Belmont County Court of Common Pleas.7The Intelligencer. Bellaire Man Who Killed Parents in 1995 Up for Parole The defense argued insanity. Expert testimony was divided, and there was no dispute that Brooks had committed the killings.4Weelunk. The Night Nathan Brooks Canceled Halloween
A jury of six men and six women returned a guilty verdict in less than three hours. Brooks was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.4Weelunk. The Night Nathan Brooks Canceled Halloween On October 27, 1996, he was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years on each aggravated murder count, served consecutively, plus a three-year gun specification.8WTRF. Ohio Killer Who Beheaded Dad, Stabbed Shot Mother in 1995 Denied Parole
Why Brooks Was Eligible for Parole in 2025
Brooks became eligible for review under Ohio Senate Bill 256, which mandates parole eligibility hearings for offenders who committed their crimes as juveniles after they have served a set period of incarceration.8WTRF. Ohio Killer Who Beheaded Dad, Stabbed Shot Mother in 1995 Denied Parole His Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction record lists the review under the designation “SB256 CONTINUED JUVENILE.”2Ohio DRC. Offender Search – Nathan John Brooks, A337726 The hearing originally set for August 2025 was moved to November.9The Intelligencer. Bellaire Murderer’s Parole Hearing Moved to November
Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan sent a letter to the parole board urging denial, citing the “nature and severity of the offenses” and the kill list. Sheriff Zusack also publicly opposed release, recalling the threat Brooks had made against him decades earlier.7The Intelligencer. Bellaire Man Who Killed Parents in 1995 Up for Parole10WTRF. Ohio Man Who Cancelled Halloween Has Parole Delayed
The December 2025 Denial and What Comes Next
On December 10, 2025, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority denied Brooks’s request for release. Flanagan said he was “pleased with Brooks being denied parole.” The governing statute required the board to set a future hearing date. Brooks’s next review is scheduled for June 2035, at which point the board will start fresh and consider new evidence, letters, and institutional records.1Times Leader. Notorious Bellaire Murderer Denied Parole
Brooks is now 47 and remains housed at the London Correctional Institution. His official parole eligibility date is listed as August 1, 2035.2Ohio DRC. Offender Search – Nathan John Brooks, A337726
How Bellaire Still Marks the Case
The discovery of the kill list, combined with Brooks’s professed Satan worship, sent the small village into a panic in the fall of 1995. Officials canceled trick-or-treating that Halloween, and the case became locally known as the night Nathan Brooks “canceled Halloween.”10WTRF. Ohio Man Who Cancelled Halloween Has Parole Delayed Trick-or-treating returned in later years under tight supervision, with local police and fire departments overseeing a short window, typically 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Longtime Bellaire Councilwoman Lou Ann Bennett said the case “still haunts Bellaire” and that children now go out accompanied by one or both parents.4Weelunk. The Night Nathan Brooks Canceled Halloween