Italian teenager confesses to stabbing his younger brother and parents to death. Prosecutors say there is no apparent motive.

MILAN – A 17-year-old high school student who confessed to stabbing his 12-year-old brother and parents to death suffered from a general feeling of “malaise,” Italian prosecutors said Monday, saying he was unable to give a motive for the triple murder that has shocked Italy.

The minor, whose name is not being disclosed due to age reasons, was detained on suspicion of murder with aggravating circumstances, including intent.

The stabbings occurred around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning in a suburb of Milan after a family gathering to celebrate the father's 51st birthday.

The teenager took a knife from the kitchen, first entered the room he shared with the younger brother and stabbed him, prosecutors said. When his mother checked, he stabbed her and then the father as he tried to help the younger son.

All three suffered numerous stab wounds to the neck and throat, said Sabrina Ditaranto, a prosecutor responsible for juvenile offenders.

The suspect called the police and initially claimed to have only killed the father in self-defense. He was accused of also killing the mother and brother. He eventually confessed to all three murders.

“From a legal point of view, we have no motive,” Ditaranto said at a press conference.

“He does not give a logical and coherent explanation for what happened,” she added, saying he spoke of a general “malaise” that was “his own” and had nothing to do with family problems.

The murder has sparked debate about the isolation of young people as a result of the pandemic and in an era dominated by social media. Ditaranto said they had examined the suspect's use of social media and music and no clear picture emerged, apart from his description of feeling isolated.

It also came after the July 30 stabbing death of a 33-year-old woman who was out for an evening stroll near the northern city of Bergamo. It was an apparently random crime. Prosecutors confirmed on Monday the arrest of 30-year-old Moussa Sangare, a once-up-and-coming singer who was arrested nearly a month after the murder and told investigators he chose his victim at random.