TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Category: School Violence

  • Odgren warrants to remain sealed

    Odgren warrants to remain sealed

    Judge denies request for access to Odgren search warrants:

    Luckily, a judge has wisely decided that the search warrants used in the investigation of Lincoln-Sudbury stabbing suspect John Odgren will not be made public.

    Judge Paul Healy Jr. said in a ruling that releasing the information to the public would not be fair to the investigation or suspect John Odgren, 16, of Princeton.

    “At this time, it is believed that a blanket impoundment order is necessary to protect the rights of both the defendant and the Commonwealth and that there is no reasonable alternative,” Healy wrote in the two page decision.

    Thank God, this exercise in media self-righteousness was put down quickly.

  • Odgren’s past

    Odgren’s past

    School transfer of accused teen eyed:

    This is an article that chronicles the school history of Lincoln-Sudbury High stabbing suspect John Odgren. According to the article, he attended 5 schools in five years, which also, according to the article, is not very conducive to an Asperger’s patient.

    Psychiatrists say children with Asperger’s often struggle with school transitions, and a move to a large public school with 1,600 students would not be easy. Youngsters with Asperger’s typically have poor social skills.

    “It’s difficult for these people to accept changes,” said Mohammad Ghaziuddin, a child psychiatrist at the University of Michigan and a specialist in Asperger’s. “They are used to having their own schedule, their own routines. It’s their desire for sameness.”

    At this point, it’s unknown why all those transfers took place. One of the schools said that anyone who has a tendency towards violence would not be allowed to remain there. Lincoln-Sudbury schools are also saying that records provided to them were missing documents that should have contained information regarding Odgren’s past “explosive episodes”.

    Was he shuffled from school to school because of his behavior? Or could it have been parental impatience? Were they possibly not satisfied with the pace he was progressing and held the schools responsible? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

  • Odgren investigation is worldwide?

    Odgren investigation is worldwide?

    Judge to rule Monday on search warrants:

    In arguing whether or not the search warrants used to investigate the murder of James Alenson by John Odgren should be made public, Assistant District Attorney Daniel Bennett had the following to say…

    “We’re attempting to gather evidence worldwide,” said assistant district attorney Daniel Bennett. If information about what was found when the four search warrants were executed is made public, “The information we’re seeking could be altered. It could be destroyed. The search of evidence is both worldwide and goes back 16 years.”

    Even though my curiosity levels are through the roof at this point, there’s no real reason why the warrants should be made public until the investigation and trial are over.

    The judge is set to decide on Monday.

  • Another victim testifies in Campbell County shooting

    Another victim testifies in Campbell County shooting

    Principal: Bartley had chance to flee:

    The other day, I posted about Campbell County High Assistant Principal Jim Pierce testifying in the juvenile status hearing for shooter Kenny Bartley. Now it’s Principal Gary Seale’s turn. According to Seale’s testimony, Bartley had an opportunity to flee the office rather than loading the gun and firing it.

    Seale soon found himself distracted by a tardy student who showed up at the guard shack. Meanwhile, Bartley had arrived at Pierce’s office. Pierce again radioed Seale, who headed to Pierce’s office.

    “Mr. Bruce walked in behind me,” Seale said. “Little Kenny was sitting in a chair. I asked him what was going on.”

    Seale took a seat next to Bartley. Bruce stood near the door. Pierce was seated behind his desk.

    “I just told Kenny, ‘I want what you have in your pocket,’ ” Pierce testified.

    Bartley reached for his pocket. Seale did, too, but Bartley swatted his hand away and pulled out a gun, Seale testified.

    “Kenny stood up with the gun, waving it at all of us,” Pierce said.

    Bruce moved from the door to the back of the room, Seale said.

    “I was like, ‘Little Kenny, is that real?’ ” Seale testified. “He was like, ‘I’ll show you. I don’t like you anyway.’ “

    Seale and Pierce testified that Bartley then reached into his pocket, pulled out an ammunition clip, loaded the gun and opened fire. Seale was struck in the groin. Bruce was struck in the chest. Pierce was shot in the side and hand while wrestling Bartley to the floor.

    As soon as Ken Bruce moved to the back of the room, Kenny Bartley could have just walked out the door. Instead, he chose to fire his gun, killing Bruce and wounding Seale and Pierce.

    An officer also testified that drugs played a major role in the shooting.

    Campbell County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Darrell Mongar testified that Bartley had 10 Xanax pills in his pocket. Xanax is a brand name for a prescription narcotic sedative.

    Under questioning by defense attorney Mike Hatmaker, Mongar described Bartley’s reaction once handcuffed.

    “He started crying,” Mongar said. “He stated that he had stolen his father’s gun and brought it to school to trade for Oxycontin (an opiate-based prescription painkiller). He said none of this would have happened if he hadn’t taken (two of) the Xanaxes.”

    Considering he was trying to trade the gun for OxyContin, it’s safe to assume that the Xanax wasn’t prescribed to him.

    If Bartley is tried as an adult, he’s looking at a minimum of 51 years. Since Bartley has a prior juvenile record, that swings things in favor of him being tried as an adult since rehabilitation obviously hasn’t worked.

    A decision should be reached today.

  • SCMRPG almost makes it through Slamdance

    SCMRPG almost makes it through Slamdance

    Columbine game blocked from receiving Slamdance special jury prize:

    It seems that attention whore extraordinaire Danny Ledonne tried to backdoor his game into the Slamdance Festival competition, but as a documentary rather than a game.

    Ledonne showed a demo of his travesty of a game, Super Columbine Massacre: RPG, to Slamdance juror and filmmaker Brian Flemming. Flemming then discussed the “game” with two other jurors. The three jurors then decided they were going to award Ledonne an unofficial special jury prize. But their intention was to try to slip it past Slamdance director Peter Baxter by surprising the audience by announcing the special prize along with the film documentary award.

    However, Peter Baxter caught wind of it and put a stop to the award, claiming that the award could not be presented to music clearance issues. The game contains midis of copyrighted music.

    How do we know all this? Ledonne told Joystiq himself. I’ll give Captain Smug this much. He definitely knows how to market himself.

    To make matters worse, Ledonne says he’s going to make a documentary about the game and all the controversy surrounding it.

    If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was his plan all along. Create controversy and turn it around to a film career.

    If Mr. Ledonne is still serious about not trying to cash in on Columbine, then he should put his money where his mouth is. If he successfully makes the documentary, any money he makes from it should be donated to the Columbine Memorial fund. But then the Memorial isn’t dedicated to his heroes. Only the victims.

  • Judge grants juvenile status hearing for Hainstock

    Judge grants juvenile status hearing for Hainstock

    Eric Hainstock Case Goes Back To Juvenile Court:

    A judge has granted a request to have a hearing on whether or not Eric Hainstock should be tried as an adult. Hainstock shot and killed his principal, John Klang of Weston Schools in Wisconsin. Prosecutors are appealing this decision.

    If Hainstock were to be tried as a juvenile, he could only be held until his 25th birthday. Less than 10 years for first-degree intentional homicide is a joke, and again would set a dangerous precedent for those that would follow in Hainstock’s footsteps.

    He needs to be tried as an adult and put away forever. The victim, John Klang was given a death sentence and he didn’t commit any crime.

  • A sensible alternative

    A sensible alternative

    Archives vanishing act:

    This is an editorial from Rocky Mountain News that gives some great reasons for making the depositions of the Columbine killers’ parents public…

    The Rocky, along with several families of the victims, have repeatedly called for the depositions to be made public. They offer the only sworn statements from the killers’ parents that could reveal what they knew about the boys before their murderous spree – including what information they shared with school or law enforcement officials in advance.

    Disclosing these records would reopen many wounds. But it could also provide insights that could warn others.

    If Babcock is not inclined simply to release the depositions – the best option, in our view – in part because of privacy concerns, there is an alternative. The judge could order the depositions sealed in the archives until the deaths of the Harrises and the Klebolds.

    This would allow some additional aspects of the tragedy to eventually be explained. And anything that casts more light on the thinking of the killers and those who knew them best, however belated the disclosure, is a goal worth pursuing.

    That definitely makes a lot more sense than sending the depositions to the National Archives for 25 years only to be destroyed.

    Normally, I’m not conspiracy minded but between Sheriff Ted Mink and now Judge Babcock, it seems like that all law enforcement and all those involved seem to be covering something up.

  • Victim testifies in Campbell County shooting

    Victim testifies in Campbell County shooting

    ‘It’s real’: Testimony in Campbell shooting:

    Campbell County High Assistant Principal Jim Pierce testified today in a hearing to see if Kenny Bartley will be tried as an adult or a juvenile. Mr. Pierce gave his account of the shooting…

    Pierce, an assistant principal, testified today in Campbell County Juvenile Court that he summoned Bartley to his office after receiving a tip the boy was armed.

    “I just told Kenny I want what you have in your pocket,” Pierce testified.

    Bartley brandished a gun, Pierce said.

    “Kenny stood up with the gun waving it at all of use,” he testified.

    “Mr. Seale asked him if it was real. He said yes it’s real, I’ll show you I never liked you anyway.”

    Pierce said Bartley reached into his pocket, pulled out an ammunition clip and popped it into the gun and started shooting.

    As we know now, administrators Jim Pierce and Gary Seale were wounded while Ken Bruce was killed.

    I guess there goes that “accidental shooting” theory that so many of Bartley’s supporters have espoused.

  • Alenson didn’t know his attacker

    Alenson didn’t know his attacker

    Principal: No Evidence Slain Teen Knew Attacker:

    The principal of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, John M. Ritchie, addressed a group of parents at the school auditorium Thursday night. He stated that there was no pre-existing relationship between accused killer John Odgren and his victim James Alenson. So all of those claiming bullying as Odgren’s motive can stick that in your crack pipes.

    Now it says the stabbing started as an altercation. How do we know that John Odgren didn’t start that altercation? If he’s going to claim that Asperger’s caused him to kill James Alenson the prosecution can also claim that it caused him to kill James Alenson unprovoked.

    An insanity plea can work both ways.

  • Jonesboro killer pleads innocent

    Jonesboro killer pleads innocent

    Jonesboro school killer enters plea to drug, gun charges:

    Mitchell Johnson, one of the Jonesboro gunmen, pleaded innocent yesterday to charges of drug possession and unlawful weapon possession. Both are misdemeanors.

    So let me get this straight. Pot and a loaded 9mm are found in his van, but he pleads innocent. I get the feeling that he’s going to try to blame his friend who was in the van with him, crossbow killer Justin Trammel.

    And if you’re wondering why Johnson wasn’t immediately placed back in jail is because once he was released from jail at age 21 due to a loophole in Arkansas law at the time of the Jonesboro shooting, Johnson has basically no criminal record.