Colo. Teen Allegedly Murdered His Younger Siblings and Stabbed Dad 'So That He Could Be Alone' at the House

Malik Vincent Murphy, 19, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder

A Colorado teen allegedly killed his younger siblings earlier this week and then told investigators he stabbed them to death because he wanted to be alone in his house, PEOPLE confirms.

Malik Vincent Murphy, 19, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his 5-year-old sister, Sophia, and his 7-year-old brother, Noah.

Both children were transferred to local hospital where they died of their injuries.

Sophia, a kindergarten student, and her brother, Noah, a second grader, attended Edison Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“It was very difficult on our staff when they arrived they were doing life-saving measures to hold onto those kiddos,” Colorado Springs police Lt. Howard Black tells PEOPLE. “It is impacting the whole state of Colorado to have such young loss of life. It is so heartbreaking.”

The teen’s father was also stabbed during the Tuesday rampage at the family’s Colorado Springs home. He is in serious but stable condition, Black says.

Murphy, a Pikes Peak Community College student, was taken into custody that same evening at the house and is being held in El Paso County Jail without bond.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 27. He has yet to enter a plea.

His public defenders were unavailable for comment.

Colorado Springs Police

A Deadly Plan?

Murphy, who shared a bedroom with his younger siblings, allegedly told investigators that he often had “homicidal ideations” and that he had purchased a knife several months ago at Wal-Mart, according to a copy of the police affidavit obtained by local TV station KDVR.

Murphy’s father told police that his son “had talked about doing this previously.”

He “decided he was going to kill his family so that he could be alone in the residence,” the affidavit claims. Allegedly, his plan “was to kill his entire family and then bury them in the backyard.”

According to the affidavit, Murphy’s dad said he was sleeping in his bedroom Tuesday night with his wife when he woke to screaming.

He went to the basement, where his son allegedly confronted him with a knife and began stabbing him, he said. Jefferson said he was able to fight his son off and detain him in the garage until police arrived.

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According to the The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Murphy was previously arrested in Illinois in March, after he allegedly drove his parent’s SUV there and set it on fire.

The charges were later dropped after Murphy’s parents asked for him not to be prosecuted, the Gazette reports. He was ordered to seek mental health treatment.

Neighbor Gilbert Macias told the Gazette that the two young siblings were “really sweet kids.”

“I always saw them playing when I got home from work,” he said. “They have a basketball hoop and are usually playing basketball. Now that it’s fall, they were out there tossing the football.”

Another neighbor, Judy Barnes, told the paper that Noah and Sophia called her “neighbor grandma.”

“They were great,” she said. “They were just kids. I saw them the day before yesterday. They were playing in the yard with mom and dad.”