Bio

Alec Devon Kreider was born on February 4, 1991, to Timothy Scot Kreider and Angela Parsons Kreider. Following his parents' divorce in 2002, he lived with his mother in Manheim Township, Pennsylvania, where he attended Manheim Township High School as a sophomore. 

To peers, neighbors, and teachers, Kreider appeared to fly under the radar as a quiet student who participated in the school's rifle club, often spending time at the nearby home of his German class friend, Kevin Haines. Privately, however, Kreider harbored severe psychological instability and violent anger issues from a young age, which included a childhood attempt to strangle his own brother. 

His escalating inner turmoil was documented in private journals that expressed an intense hatred for happy people and a growing obsession with killing, leading up to a severe depressive state and suicidal ideation that eventually culminated in his involuntary psychiatric commitment shortly after the murders.

Murder Story

In the early morning hours of May 12, 2007, Alec Devon Kreider entered the Haines family home in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He was dressed in dark clothing and carried a hunting knife with a four-inch blade and he entered through an unlocked door.

Inside the home were Thomas Haines, Lisa Haines, their son Kevin Haines, and their daughter Maggie Haines, who had recently returned home from college. Kreider attacked the family while they were inside the house.

Thomas Haines and Lisa Haines were attacked in their bedroom. Kevin Haines was attacked near or inside his bedroom area and struggled for his life. Prosecutors later said Kevin suffered multiple stab wounds and cuts during the attack. Maggie Haines woke after hearing noises and went to her parents’ room, where her mother told her to get help. Maggie escaped and ran to a neighbor’s home, where 911 was called.

When police arrived, Thomas, Lisa, and Kevin were found dead. Nothing appeared to have been stolen, and the crime shocked the local community because of its brutality and the lack of an immediate motive.

The investigation lasted about a month. Kreider was questioned during the early investigation but was not arrested until after he confessed to his father. On June 14, 2007, Timothy Kreider told police that his son had confessed. Alec Kreider was arrested on June 16, 2007, and charged as an adult with three counts of first-degree murder.

Investigators later connected Kreider to the crime through physical evidence, including the murder weapon, shoes linked to bloody footprints, and DNA evidence. Prosecutors also cited his journal writings and statements made after the murders.

Kreider pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. On June 17, 2008, he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Because he was 16 at the time of the crime, he could not receive the death penalty under the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Roper v. Simmons.

Kreider later challenged his sentence, especially after U.S. Supreme Court decisions limited mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles. However, before any major resentencing outcome changed his case, he died in prison. On January 20, 2017, Kreider was found hanging in his cell at SCI Camp Hill and was later pronounced dead.