Three out of four of the teenagers charged in the beating death of Matthew Josiah Silliman accepted a plea offer on Thursday which means they will not stand trial on first-degree murder charges.

Allegra Rose Dahlquist, Aadil Shahid Khan and Drew Logan Shaw will plead to lesser charges other than first-degree murder and have stated they will testify against the remaining suspect, Ryan Patrick Hare. The murder trial is slated for May 24.

If Hare is found guilty on first-degree murder he could spend the remainder of his life in prison without the chance of parole.

At the time of the slaying, Dahlquist and Khan were seniors at Apex High School and Shaw was a sophomore at Panther Creek. Hare had withdrawn from Panther Creek earlier in the year. The four were all friends of Silliman, 18, who was also a student at Apex High.

Acting on a tip from Apex police, Wake County deputies found Silliman's body on December 2, 2008 inside a mobile home at 4221 Olive Branch Lane in New Hill. Wake County Register of Deeds records show the vacant dwelling is owned by Robert and Ethel Dahlquist.

Initially identified as "John Doe," officers from the Apex Police Department were able to locate and interview several people who they believe could identify the deceased male along with additional information in the case.

One person who they interviewed confessed to participating in the death and implicated three others. The suspect admitted that they beat him on his head with a hammer, tied him with zip ties, suffocated him with duct tape and then disposed of the body in a plastic bag.

The witness further stated they attempted to utilize medications commonly used for animals to plan the murder.

Before the bludgeoning took place, they reportedly read Silliman his fate with the use of Tarot cards.

Search warrants show a host of items were removed from the vehicle allegedly used in the crime including duct tape, Tarot cards, cable ties, empty syringe wrapper, baseball bat and a stun gun.

Silliman was reported missing by his parents on November 26, however, his date of death is listed as November 30. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds. He suffered from dementia or some other cognitive impairment.

Authorities have not given a possible motive for the slaying.