‘Somebody would kill him’:
Shawn Hainstock, father of Weston High School gunman Eric Hainstock, is showing concern for his son…
Shawn Hainstock made no secret of his tears Thursday after a Sauk County Circuit Court hearing for his 16-year-old son, Eric, who is charged with killing the principal of Weston School in September.
“I’m concerned (Eric) might say the wrong thing (in an adult prison) and somebody would hurt him,” Shawn Hainstock said, tears in his eyes. “Somebody would kill him, and that would be that.”
In his first public interview since the shooting, Shawn Hainstock said he visits his son in the Sauk County Jail every day or two. “He kind of breaks down and cries a lot,” he said.
Sauk County Circuit Judge Patrick Taggart’s decision last month that the younger Hainstock be tried as an adult was a “tragedy,” Hainstock said. “My heart’s been tore out,” he said. “That just about killed me.”
“Nobody knows him like we do,” Shawn Hainstock said. “They don’t realize how loving a boy he is. He can be saved.”
But he said his son is “getting railroaded.”
The reason this is so interesting is because the defense is alleging that one of the reasons Eric Hainstock killed John Klang was because Eric Hainstock was abused by his father. At one point Eric Hainstock was even removed from the house by the state but begged to be returned.
This leads me to believe one of two things. Either the alleged abuse wasn’t as bad as the defense is making it out to be or that Shawn Hainstock is a hypocritical son of a bitch. Whatever one it is remains to be seen.
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Seeing as how so much of the abuse was at least semi-witnessed (as in the effects were witnessed if not the acts themselves) I am going with the 2nd one. Though I wonder, he was remarried what if the wife hated Eric and did most of the abusive acts and the father being the idiot he was just went along with it.
Eric might die in prison? He cries every day? Wow. Should have thought of that before he *murdered a man*.
The defense is lying about abuse. Its a typical playbook tactic to get a sympathetic jury.
Trench, you failed to mention a possible third scenario- Eric lied all along about abuse because he is delusional, depressed and has a persecution complex.
Yeah and he just acted like he was starving and hadn’t showered in days… I highly doubt that anyone could fake that, that good. Not with witnesses. Though careful about calling him delusional, you might set him up with an insanity defense.
[i]Yeah and he just acted like he was starving and hadn’t showered in days[/i]
Or he’s just trailer trash.
I have no problem with an insanity defense. If he was insane at the time of the crime, then he is not guilty, but will likely be sentenced to life in a nut house.
I do have a problem with people who know they are imbalanced and refuse to get the help they need or to take medication, or get psychiatric treatment, or just outright lie about their situation to garner pity.
And how is it that being “dirty” is a sign of child abuse? It sounds to me like he was a typical hippie.
I guess dad should have been concerned BEFORE his little mutant offspring shot and killed an innocent person…it’s a little late for concern now.
Parental involvement (or lack of)sure seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of these cases.
Considering what is confirmed about his home life I doubt psycatric treatment was an option. His dad would have never allowed it, especcially if he was being abused. Do you seriously think an abusive dad (if he was really abusive) would ever let his kid attend a shrink to be found out…
And your right dirty clothes can be signs of other things, but starving mixed in with dirty clothes from a very young age… that shows a quite detailed picture.