16-Year-Old Charged With Murdering Mother, 2 Sisters In Roseburg

ROSEBURG, OR — The 16-year-old Roseburg boy accused of murdering his foster mother, foster sister, and biological sister was arraigned in a Douglas County court Wednesday afternoon. Kevin Wayne Adams appeared on a court camera wearing jail attire and remained silent other than answering a few questions with "Yes, sir."

Adams is being charged with four counts of aggravated murder for an incident that occurred in the evening Nov. 7. He is not eligible for bail.

According to court documents obtained by Patch, when Robert Adams — Kevin's foster parent — left his home in the 400-block of Whispering Pines Lane around 6:30 p.m., his wife Donya Adams, daughter Amory Adams, and foster child Payshience Adams — Kevin's biological sister who was under 14 years old — were alive and well. When Robert returned just before 8:45 p.m., Kevin reportedly met him outside, told him not to go in, and to call the police.

When Douglas County law enforcement arrived at the rural country home seven miles west of Roseburg, they interviewed Kevin and Robert.

Inside the home, Robert found Donya, Amory, and Payshience had all been shot multiple times, and his handgun was on his bed — not where it should be, he reportedly told officers.

Kevin reportedly explained to investigators that after Robert had left, he shot the three several times and then waited for Robert to return.

Kevin will be tried as an adult, as per Oregon law, with a possible sentence of 40 years if convicted. A death sentence is typically off the table for persons convicted of aggravated murder if the crime was committed before the person being tried was 18 years old.

Roseburg is only two years removed from the day Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, rocked the community when he opened fire in a classroom at Umpqua Community College, killing one assistant professor and eight students on Oct. 1, 2015; eight other students were injured in the shooting before Harper-Mercer took his own life following a gun battle with officers in the college's hallway.

Image: A sign sits along the road to Umpqua Community College on October 2, 2015 in Roseburg, Oregon, after 26-year-old Chris Harper-Mercer went on a shooting rampage on the campus. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images