In March 2012, Kit Darrant threw a party for more than 60 of his high school friends. The teens, all from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, partied in the apartment where Darrant lived with his mother. At one point, a student asked Darrant about a strange smell. He told her it was probably the trash.
What none of the students partying that night knew was that Darrant had killed his mother with a butcher knife and left her decomposing body in a room for some eight days before it was found.
On Friday the now-19-year-old Darrant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of his mother, 35-year-old Renette Emile, and will spend the next 28 years in prison, the Miami Herald reports.
According to the newspaper, Darrant argued with his mother the night of her death. He strangled her and then, unsure if she was dead, grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and stabbed her more than 100 times.
Darrant hid the body in her bedroom, covering it in blankets and laundry detergent to hide the smell of decomposition. As his mom's body decayed in her bedroom, the then-16-year-old spent the next eight days shopping, skipping school and even throwing a party for his friends.
Darrant's sister and her boyfriend found the body after they grew suspicious concerning the mother's whereabouts.
"The murder of Rene Emile was tragic and Mr. Darrant publicly apologizes for his actions and the immense pain they have caused others," said Darrant's lawyer, Christopher DeCoste, according to the Herald. "This deal is equally beneficial to both sides. It allows this young man to repay his debt to society, yet still have a second chance at life."
Before leaving the courtroom, Darrant told the judge: "The man that I am now is not the boy that I used to be. Actions speak louder than words, and I intend to prove that to you."
Read more at the Miami Herald.