SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO-AM) It was at suspected double killer Heath Otto's first court appearance Monday in Minnehaha County that the shocked family learned the horrid details of the crime.
Loud sobs broke out when State's Attorney Aaron McGowan revealed that Otto's mother and a seven-year-old boy were strangled into unconsciousness and then the suspect got a kitchen knife to "finish the job." at a mobile home just north of Sioux Falls. One family member actually fainted to the floor.
Otto himself, also appeared to be an emotional wreck, clearly crying at times.
A $5 million cash bond was set.
(KSFY TV's Bridget Bennett contributed to this report