DUNCAN, Okla. – Police said today a Duncan teenager has confessed to killing his mother, father and teenage sister inside the family home last Thursday in a triple-murder that has rattled this small Oklahoma town.

Police Chief Danny Ford said Alan Hruby, 19, a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, admitted to the shooting deaths just before midnight Tuesday, only hours after authorities had named him as the only suspect in the case.

Ford said Hruby confessed during an interrogation session conducted by Police Lt. Joe Shoemate and Capt. Joe Evans.

Hruby has been in custody at the Stephens County Jail since Monday, when the bodies of the victims were discovered by a housekeeper, who notified police and Hruby.

Shot to death were his father, John Hruby, 50, a well-known Oklahoma newspaper publisher; his mother, Katherine “Tinker” Hruby, 48, and his sister, Katherine, 17, a high school junior.

Ford said he was relieved at the sudden turn of events.

“When you have this community, you feel responsible, you take it personal,” said the police chief. “They’re not all like this.”

Alan Hruby returned home from the university in Norman on Monday morning. Authorities took him to station, where he was informed of the deaths of his parents and sister by a police chaplain. Ford said he appeared distraught by the news, “crying and wailing” before calming down.

He was later booked into the local jail on an unrelated fraudulent check charge, pending further investigation into the triple murders.

Tuesday night Ford identified the young Hruby as the only suspect in the investigation. Authorities were considering “no one other than him,” said Ford, though no charges had been filed.

Details for this story were provided by the Duncan, Okla., Banner.