TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Category: School Violence

  • Roberts family releases statement

    Roberts family releases statement

    Statement from the Roberts’ family released:

    The family of Charles Roberts, the Amish school gunman that killed 5 girls, has released the following statement to the public…

    From the Roberts family:

    To our Amish friends, neighbors, and local community:

    Our family wants each of you to know that we are overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace, and mercy that you’ve extended to us. Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. The prayers, flowers, cards, and gifts you’ve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.

    Please know that our hearts have been broken by all that has happened. We are filled with sorrow for all of our Amish neighbors whom we have loved and continue to love. We know that there are many hard days ahead for all the families who lost loved ones, and so we will continue to put our hope and trust in God of all comfort, as we all seek to rebuild our lives.

  • Missouri middle school shooter’s father faces charges

    Missouri middle school shooter’s father faces charges

    Federal charge against father of boy in middle school shooting:

    It seems that the father of Memorial Middle School shooter Thomas White is in a little bit of trouble over the whole incident. Is it because he basically allowed his son to take a rifle to school? That would make sense but no. It turns out that Gregory Lynn White, 44, was charged with being a felon in possession of a gun. Mr. White has two felony convictions of burglary in Florida and drug possession in California. The elder White is looking at a year in prison.

  • Joplin shooter identified

    Joplin shooter identified

    Joplin student charged:

    The 13-year-old Memorial Middle School student who fired a rifle inside his school is Thomas White. He has been charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and making a terrorist threat.

    Police are saying that White did not have a fascination with Columbine or any other school shooting.

    How White obtained the gun…

    Police said Tuesday that the gun safe from which the boy obtained the assault rifle was located in his parents’ bedroom. Police seized the safe when they searched the home less than two hours after the shooting.

    “When we got there, the safe was locked,” Jones said. “The key, according to the mother, was kept in an ashtray somewhere in the house. When we got there, that ashtray was on the floor in front of the safe.”

    He said the ashtray contained about 30 keys, and police tried a number of them until they found one that opened the safe.

    It kind of defeats the purpose of a safe if the key is left out in the open.

    Still no word on a motive.

    And to make matters worse, White has been charged with attempted escape after he tried to run away from staff as he was being led out of a cafeteria at the Jasper County Juvenile Detention Center.

    You’re not helping your case any, son.

  • Roberts’ Revenge?

    Roberts’ Revenge?

    Roberts to Amish: You’ll pay for my baby:

    It appears that Charles Carl Roberts’ motive was more about the loss of his daughter than about the alleged molestation of relatives 20 years ago…

    Charles Carl Roberts IV, after barricading the doors and dismissing all but the 10 Amish girls, pointed his gun at the children.

    “I’m going to make you pay for my daughter,’’ state police said Roberts told them.

    Police believe Roberts intended to sexually assault the girls, based on lubricating jelly they found in his belongings that morning, but never got the chance.

    If you’ll remember, Roberts lost his first daughter, Elise, when she died shortly after being born. In my opinion, it sounds like he wanted to torture them more than sexually assault them.

    Roberts is buried next to his daughter.

    And as mentioned yesterday, the school-house where the shootings took place has been demolished.

  • Platte Canyon timeline

    Platte Canyon timeline

    Timeline Shows Gunman Cased School Before Shooting:

    The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has established a timeline of Duane Morrison’s activities prior to him storming Platte Canyon High School and eventually killing Emily Keyes and himself…

    It was around 11:30 a.m. the day before Duane Morrison shot and killed Emily Keyes and himself when he was first recorded at the school.

    His jeep was spotted in the upper administration parking lot leaving about a half hour later at noon.

    The next day, September 27, the tape showed that Morrison arrived in the upper administration parking lot at 8:42 a.m. and left 2 minutes later at 8:44 a.m.

    The camera then showed his car parked in the student lot at 8:46 a.m.

    Morrison then apparently left the area for about an hour. At 8:57a.m., the camera showed his car gone from parking space but at 9:44 a.m., Morrison’s car was back in same spot.

    One hour and 9 minutes later, the camera would catch the gunman leaving his jeep and mixing in with students returning to class. At 10:53 a.m., Morrison was seen on the video exiting the vehicle.

    Not until 48 minutes later does the first call come from the school at 11:40. Less than 3 minutes later the first deputy arrived at Platte Canyon High School.

    About 4 hours later, SWAT team members burst into the classroom where Morrison opened fire on hostage Emily Keyes.

    “The single gunshot wound Emily sustained was caused by Morrison,” said Steve Johnson from the CBI.

    This quote sums up the entire incident…

    The timeline may help answer the question “how” but the “why” is still unanswered.

    And we may never know why.

  • Roberts’ grave vandalized

    Roberts’ grave vandalized

    Grave of Amish schoolhouse gunman desecrated:

    Desecrated is a pretty harsh word. I’d say vandalized. But any way you put it, the grave of Charles Roberts, the gunman who killed 5 girls in the Amish school shooting, has been defiled…

    Someone trashed the freshly dug grave of the man who shot 10 Amish girls last week, killing five of them before he reloaded his pistol and killed himself.

    Tuesday morning “was the first incident where the grave site was damaged,” said state police Trooper David Fedorshak. “The caretaker’s wife was walking through the cemetery about 7 a.m. when she noticed the grave was kicked about. Flowers and a stuffed animal stomped on and kicked around there, the flowers ripped out and thrown around.”

    I get the feeling it won’t be the last time, either.

    In other news from Dutch Pennsylvania, Roberts is not a suspect in any other crimes.

    The schoolhouse where the shooting took place is scheduled for demolition tomorrow.

    Area hospitals that treated the victims of the shooting are waiving the costs to treat them.

  • Is the Kerns trial finally starting?

    Is the Kerns trial finally starting?

    Kerns trial starts Monday:

    The trial of Toby Kerns is supposed to get underway again this Monday, October 15th. For those of you who have not heard about this case, it’s been going on for the past two years.

    Toby was arrested for plotting an attack against Marshfield High School in Marshfield, Mass. The only problem is the person who turned him in is also implicated in the plot. Joe Nee, who is being tried separately, turned Tobin in but was arrested later after others implicated Nee.

    Joe Nee is the son of the head of the Boston Police union. Joe Nee also has a Columbine fascination and wore a shirt to school that had pictures of Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold that said: “Remember The Heroes”. In my opinion, Joe Nee implicated Tobin Kerns when Tobin opted out of the plot.

    Joe Nee has obvious police connections. My theory is Joe Nee implicated Tobin before Tobin could implicate Nee. For more details, you can check the Marshfield archives.

    With any luck, Tobin will be exonerated.

  • Roberts may be attempted rape suspect

    Roberts may be attempted rape suspect

    Roberts eyed in sex attack on Amish woman in 2005:

    Charles Carl Roberts IV, the gunman in the Amish school shooting, is being looked at as a possible suspect in the 2005 attempted rape of an Amish woman in her home.

    The victim’s father, who interrupted the assault, said that neither he nor his daughter got a good look at the attacker because it was dark at the time. And they have no definitive proof it was Roberts.

    Police are investigating by comparing fingerprints from both crime scenes.

    Roberts lived less than one-quarter mile from the victim.

  • Joplin shooting could have been worse

    Joplin shooting could have been worse

    Bloodbath averted:

    It seems that yesterday’s shooting incident in Joplin, Missouri could have been much worse than it was. The 13-year-old suspect, who was dressed in a mask and trench coat and carrying his parents’ Mac-90 rifle, tried to fire additional shots after firing the initial shot into the ceiling.

    However, through nothing short of a miracle, the gun jammed. Most reports today are saying that the suspect had a fascination with Columbine but have not elaborated. Also, the suspect had bomb-making instructions and plans for the school, but no explosives were found.

    Still no ID or motive.

  • Teen fires gun in Mo. middle school

    Teen fires gun in Mo. middle school

    Student, 13, fires AK-47 in Missouri school:

    A masked Joplin, Missouri 13-year-old fired an AK-47 inside his middle school. Luckily, no one was injured.

    The student was wearing a mask and pointed the assault rifle at Principal Steve Gilbreth, Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr and two students, saying, “not to make me do this,” Superintendent Jim Simpson said.

    Simpson said the teen then fired a shot into the ceiling, breaking a water pipe, and said again, “Please don’t make me do this.”

    Gilbreth and Doerr persuaded the student to leave the building, where he was arrested by police.

    Joplin police Officer Curt Farmer said officers found a note in the student’s backpack indicating that he had placed an explosive in the school, which has about 700 students. Students in the school were moved to nearby Joplin Memorial Hall, and the school was closed while officers searched the building.

    The student was wearing a mask and apparently had been planning an attack for a “long time,” Simpson said. He didn’t elaborate and said authorities did not know whether others were involved.

    No ID or motive was given yet.

    Thanks to Magz for the tip.