This is an article from the alternative weekly in Wisconsin called Isthmus. In it are a series of letters that Eric Hainstock wrote to the publication. For those of you who may not remember Hainstock was 15 when he shot and killed Principal John Klang of the Weston Schools. Hainstock was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole in 2037.
In his letters Hainstock sort of takes responsibility for his actions…
Hainstock says some people in prison have told him he’s “cool” for having killed his principal. He corrects them: “No, I’m not. I took a life. He can’t go to his daughter’s wedding. He can’t walk her down the aisle.”
But for most of the article, as usual, he blames his situation on everyone but himself…
“When I was 15 years old I shot my high school principal. I never meant for this to happen. He grabbed me from behind and I got scared. I was already pretty stressed, so that freaked me out even more. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not blaming Mr. Klang for grabbing me. But I am blaming him, the teachers, social services and the school as a whole for never listening to me…. No one ever listened.”
The article goes on about how much he learned in prison but I guess he still hasn’t learned that everyone is responsible for their own actions. The article also says that he likes prison more compared to his old life. I’m glad that was arranged for him.
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