Authorities said they have charged a 16-year-old boy with murder after he allegedly killed his classmate and then took a selfie of himself with the body and posted the photos online.

Sixteen-year-old Maxwell Marion Morton, a resident of Jeanette, Pennsylvania, was charged with murder and a firearms count in the death of his classmate, 16-year-old Ryan Mangan.

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A local newspaper reported that Morton shot Mangan in the face for a still undisclosed reason. Mangan's body was found by his mother inside their home last Wednesday.

Police said Morton took a photo of himself with the body and sent it to a friend using the cell-phone app SnapChat.

Police were contacted by the mother of another boy, Morton's friend, who said he received a photo showing the suspect with the victim after the murder.

The boy said he also received text messages from the suspect saying, "Told you I cleaned up the shells" and "Ryan was not the last one."

Morton confessed to the killing after police searched his home and found a 9mm handgun, which he allegedly used in killing his classmate.

Morton, who has been charged as an adult, is being held without bail in a juvenile detention center on charges of first-degree murder, homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor.

District Attorney John Peck, who has been a prosecutor for more than 30 years, said he had never seen a suspect taking a picture of himself with the body of his victim.

"I've never seen it before," Peck said, "but it was a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant."

Jeanette, Pennsylvania is located about 30-miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The victim and the suspect were both juniors in high school.

It was not the first time that photos on social media helped solved crimes. In the past, several murder incidents were solved after the suspects unwittingly admitted their crimes online.

An incident of theft was also solved when the suspects posted photos of themselves online using the smartphone they stole from their victims. The smartphone was loaded with an app that can locate the phone's location.

TagsMaxwell Morton, pennsylvania murder