E! To Present Special WHEN TEENS KILL, 10/30

It happens way too often: the nation goes into shock when brutal murders are committed by killers who aren't even old enough to vote. These crimes force society to ask "Why?" but there are no easy answers. They're the subject of E! Entertainment's "When Teens Kill," at 10pm ET/PT on October 30, only on E!

The latest E! Entertainment special focuses on crimes so horrifying that the killers were tried as adults, setting off even more national controversy. The special explores what lead up to these shocking acts and the impact on the families and communities in the aftermath. Each story is told through riveting footage and exclusive interviews with family members, friends, law enforcement, legal representatives and, in one case, the convicted killer himself.

That killer was 17-year-old Andrew Conley, who was supposed to look after his younger brother, Conner, while his mother and step father were working. Instead, Andrew fatally assaulted Conner. "I took a young boy's life, my brother's life away. And if there's a hell, that's where I'm going and I deserve to be," he says on camera in "When Teens Kill." Among the theories raised – and refuted – was that Andrew was inspired by the title character on the TV show "Dexter."

In 2008, the twin issues of school bullying and anti-gay violence came to the fore when 14-year-old Brandon McInerney shot to death his gay classmate Larry King. While the case lead to national initiatives to prevent school bullying, it also set off a firestorm over trying young people as adults. "When Teens Kill" interviews the boys' teacher, their friends, Brandon's half-brother, law enforcement officials and others. One friend recalls a brief but chilling conversation she had with Brandon the day before he murdered his classmate: "He walked up to me and looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Say goodbye to Larry 'cause you're not gonna see him again.' And ran off."

Another story in "When Teens Kill" concerns 13-year-old Aaron Schmidt, who found solace and a sense of belonging with the Calahan family, his new neighbors in Harlem, Georgia. The good feelings didn't last long as Aaron's demons eventually emerged. Exclusive, emotional interviews with the victim's mother and sister detail the day when Aaron slew his friend, 13-year-old Alana Calahan. His supporters say Aaron is remorseful; Alana's family, meanwhile, tries to move on and to make sense of the crime. In one powerful interview, Alana's mother Betty Jo Calahan remembers "I just wanted to shake him and ask him, 'why?'."