TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Category: School Violence

  • Insanity plea for James Lewerke

    Insanity plea for James Lewerke

    Lewerke enters insanity plea:

    For those of you who don’t remember, James Lewerke was the kid from Valparaiso High School in Indiana who slashed five of his classmates with a machete and a tree saw.

    Luckily, none of the injuries were serious and no one died. As of now, he is being tried as an adult. However, defense attorneys have entered an insanity plea for Lewerke.

    You might think I’m going to jump all over the defense attorneys on this one, but you’re wrong. I think that this time it’s more than likely a legitimate defense.

    The reason I think that is, first off, I’ve heard no real motive come out of this case. No excuses made by the defense or otherwise. No bullying. No rejections. No previous behavioral problems. The only thing I’ve heard so far is some rumblings that he allegedly heard “voices from God”.

    So, I think for once we may have a legitimate case of insanity. I’m not saying that’s 100% true, but with the facts that I have at hand, I don’t doubt it at this time. Also, defense attorneys are trying to get the case moved back to juvenile court.

  • Andrew Osantowski: Addendum

    Andrew Osantowski: Addendum

    Just some tidbits about Andrew Osantowski.

    Here is his profile with the Michigan Department of Corrections.

    And here is his Yahoo Profile where he still is linked to my site. It looks like he still has net access because that picture has changed. It used to be this picture…

    Anybody else recognize the shirt he’s wearing? That’s right, it’s a t-shirt from the now-defunct white supremacist record label Panzerfaust Records.

    And if he still does have net access, which it appears he does, and he still has links to white supremacist sites and the like, then it seems like he hasn’t learned his lesson.

  • Consecutive Sentences Sought for John Jason McLaughlin

    Consecutive Sentences Sought for John Jason McLaughlin

    Extended Sentence Sought For McLaughlin:

    Prosecutors in the case of the Rocori High School shooter John Jason McLaughlin have requested that a judge sentence McLaughlin to two consecutive sentences.

    If you remember, McLaughlin was found guilty of shooting and killing Seth Bartell and Aaron Rollins at Rocori High School in Minnesota. If the judge approves the request, McLaughlin could be looking at more than 40 years. Only 40? I thought he was looking at a life sentence.

    Anyway, sentencing is still scheduled for August 30th.

  • This is why

    This is why

    Yesterday, Bookhouse Boy over at The Crime Spree did an entry where he made the following statement to me…

    Trench, in my opinion, wastes time when he bothers to debate these guys when they show up on his message boards. They’re the equivalent of Holocaust deniers, Trench.

    9 times out of 10 I would agree with Bookhouse Boy if it weren’t for instances like this.

    The other day I got an e-mail from someone named James and this is what he had to say…

    i haven’t processed this email into a verbal system so bear with me. i’m in one of those periods of transition, being 17 and a “pariah” at my highschool. it’s certainly of my own volition since i still enjoy acting the way i do…but, for about 3 years i was what you’d characterize as a mutant. i’m not anymore. this was because of stumbling across your site in one of my vapid searches for those two fuckers as well as other mass-murderers to re-read information that i already knew. when i read the articles on your site, scrolling down and down and down, the content seemed so disaggreeable. all of my reactions were anathematic, as though you just didn’t understand something. i now know this was utter bullshit on my part. for those years i thought that those two were something that i could relate to, but they were spoiled, unempathetic and utterly self-important in any sense of the word. they didn’t kill people who deserved to die, they didn’t leave the world a better place than they found it. there’s many other things…but i found your site a few times before i bought a computer, after i got one i joined one of those fucking message boards on the subject (and trust me it was pro-asshole), it took about 2 weeks of reading other peoples comments and opinnions of them to realize what the fuck this was all about, i saw myself by looking at all of the poorly typed idiocy. this was something of an existential crisis, because i’d been expelled/arrested/lost several friends/would have died because of this entire situation. i think you should display a copy of the script to the play Bang Bang You’re Dead, because after i read it, it really helped me realize that there’s no fucking point in having anything crossing the line of animosity for this kind of thing. also, i know a two paragraph blurb won’t change the minds of dumbass mutants, but you should try to clearly articulate to these people why the hell they should stay around and stop spending 70 percent of their day thinking about people they otherwise wouldn’t have liked in real life anyway.

    I don’t have to articulate it. You already have.

  • The Myth Spreads Like Cancer II

    The Myth Spreads Like Cancer II

    Bully for Them:

    Who would have thought? A factually inaccurate article from the Washington Post. I’m stunned. (Not really)

    Basically, this is just another “feel good” article about bullying. It states the obvious by saying bullying is a real problem in our schools but, as usual, doesn’t offer any real solutions that can be applied in the real world. It relies a lot on parental involvement. In a perfect world that would be enough, but as we all know, the parents of bullies are either bullies themselves or refuse to admit that their kids are bullies.

    And they blame the usual suspects, TV, Movies, video games, but still not offering any real solutions on what the schools can do to stop bullying. However, my major bone of contention is with this…

    Bullying’s link to violence has been repeatedly documented. For example, the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colo., by two students who had been bullied, resulted in the deaths of 12 classmates, a teacher and the shooters themselves, and the wounding of 23 others.

    WRONG!!! Again I refer to what, I think, is the definitive article about Columbine, “The Depressive and the Psychopath” written by Dave Cullen for Slate. An addition to the article deals with the myths of Columbine…

    Here is the straight story on seven of the central myths:

    1. Targeting jocks, blacks, and Christians: There were no targets. Harris and Klebold just wanted body count, and they didn’t care who died. They expected their bombs to do most of the killing, murdering everyone in the cafeteria, irrespective of clique or social standing. When the bombs failed, they shot indiscriminately, firing into open crowds and under tables without bothering to see who their victims were. They taunted jocks briefly in the library, but they taunted virtually everyone else there, too.

    7. Outcasts: Perhaps the most pervasive myth is that Harris and Klebold were rejected outcasts. They were not captains of the football team, but they were far more accepted than many of their schoolmates. They hung out with a tight circle of close friends and partied regularly on the weekend with a wider crowd.

    In other words, they weren’t bullied.

    Even though some people think I encourage or excuse bullying, you couldn’t be more wrong. As a former victim, I think bullying is a cancer on our education system. But unfortunately, I don’t think there will ever be a realistic solution to eliminating bullying from our schools.

  • That was quick

    That was quick

    Dangerous offender back in custody:

    The Taber school shooter, Todd Cameron Smith, was recaptured by Canadian authorities. What I find funny is under Canadian law he couldn’t be identified by the media because he was a juvenile when he killed Jason Lang and has been recaptured. But while he was loose, they were able to use his name and picture. So why back to not identifying him? You can’t unring the bell.

    Police took the extraordinary step of getting permission from a court to disclose the man’s name and release his photo in an effort to locate him. That order was automatically rescinded as soon as he was returned to custody.

    In case anyone missed it, his name is Todd Cameron Smith. Some Canadian citizens were not pleased with what happened.

    Joseph Wamback, founder of the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation, said he was outraged such a violent convict was transferred out of a prison and to an open-custody facility located near several schoolyards and basketball courts.

    “He is a convicted killer,” Wamback said.

    “He has walked away from so-called supervised custody and he has left a note, saying that he will not be taken alive. We have placed the rights of scumbags and deviants ahead of the rights of innocent Canadians.”

    I guess Canada is even worse than America when it comes to the killers having more rights than the victims.

  • Taber Shooter Escapes

    Taber Shooter Escapes

    Taber killer escapes custody:

    I had almost forgotten about the Taber shooting. At the time, I didn’t have a website, as I had dismantled the original one in the wake of Columbine after receiving all the death threats and hate mail.

    Only 8 days after Columbine, Todd Cameron Smith took a .22 caliber rifle to W.R. Myers High School in Taber, Alberta, Canada and shot and killed 17-year-old Jason Lang. Here’s a CNN article from around the time of the shooting. A judge originally ordered Smith held in closed custody for an indefinite period, so long as his time in jail didn’t exceed 10 years. However, earlier this year, he was released to a halfway house even though he still posed a threat to the public…

    “The concerns remain with regard to the pleasure he derives from violence,” the Crown’s David Thompson quoted a psychiatric report as saying.

    “He continues to pose a significant risk to the public.”

    During the original trial, defense lawyers portrayed Smith as the victim of bullying only here’s the thing, his victim, Jason Lang, wasn’t a bully. According to Jason’s father, Rev. Dale Lang, Jason was against bullying…

    “Ironically, one of the things that’s so sad is that Jason didn’t like bullying, and often tried to befriend kids who were picked on,” Mr. Lang said. “He was a good kid, and we miss him.”

    Rev. Lang has even gone so far as to forgive his son’s killer and has been active in anti-bullying campaigns.

    Another report says that Jason Lang did charity work in Mexico, building houses. Doesn’t sound like the bullying type to me.

    So Todd Smith shot and killed someone who would have more than likely helped him, while his alleged tormentors are probably free. Thanks to the myth that started in Columbine about the Columbine shooters being bullied, shootings and shooting plots still occur to this day. Yes, bullying is a cancer in our school systems that needs to be addressed, but if Columbine, Taber, Santee, Red Lake, and Rocori didn’t stop bullying, neither will other school shootings.

    As I’ve said before, these incidents have taken the focus away from bullying and put it on identifying would be shooters. So, in essence, it’s only made bullying worse. And like I’ve been saying for the past 6 years, killing someone, especially someone who had nothing to do with the bullying in the first place, is not an excuse nor a reason to kill people.

    Anyway, back to the point of the article. Todd Cameron Smith has escaped from his halfway house and has vowed not to be taken alive…

    Todd Cameron Smith, now 20, fled protective custody at 3:30 a.m. Monday, leaving a note in his room at the Hinks Dellcrest Centre.

    It read: “I can’t be caged anymore. If they find me, they’ll have to kill me. . . . Bye. Sorry.”

    The fact that this kid was given such a light sentence puzzles me. He shot and killed a random victim, and he was allowed to live in a halfway house? The kid should have been put away for life. Especially since one of the Canadian government’s own psychiatrists stated that Smith still posed a threat to the public.

    I pray for his capture, and I pray that he doesn’t claim any more victims.

  • Mitchell Johnson free

    Mitchell Johnson free

    Jonesboro school shooter free:

    The Other day I told you about Jonesboro shooter Mitchell Johnson was close to release. If you remember, due to a now-closed loophole in Arkansas law, Johnson can’t be held past his 21st birthday. Also before the shooting, Johnson was charged with molesting a little girl. If that wasn’t enough, here’s the really scary part…

    Johnson left the facility with a clean record. Because he was convicted as a minor, he no longer has a criminal record reflecting the shootings.

    5 people dead, 11 injured, and a little girl that he molested, and he gets to walk free. Not only free but free with a clean record. According to the article, that means he will legally be able to purchase a gun.

    It probably won’t be long before he’s on the wrong side of the law again. I just hope he doesn’t have any more victims.

  • Jonesboro shooter to be released

    Jonesboro shooter to be released

    Town preps for school shooter’s release:

    Before there was Columbine, there was Jonesboro. To be honest with you, I’m not too familiar with the incident because I wasn’t dragged kicking and screaming into the school shooting scene until 1999. So, let’s take a history lesson together, shall we? From the original CNN article…

    March 24, 1998

    Web posted at: 11:06 p.m. EST (0406 GMT)

    JONESBORO, Arkansas (CNN) — Four middle school girls and a teacher were killed and 11 people were wounded Tuesday when two heavily armed boys in full camouflage gear opened fire on their classmates and teachers during a false fire alarm.

    The Craighead County coroner’s office identified the dead students as Natalie Brooks, Paige Ann Herring, and Stephanie Johnson, all 12, and Brittheny R. Varner, 11. Tuesday night, teacher Shannon Wright, 32, died after surgery for wounds to her chest and abdomen, Coroner Toby Emerson said.

    fatal victims

    Police did not offer a motive, but a classmate said one of the suspects had recently broken up with his girlfriend.

    Authorities said as many as 27 shots were fired, and as their classmates fell bleeding, the other children ran back inside the school, screaming and crying.

    “We had children lying everywhere,” said paramedic Charles Jones. “They had all been shot.”

    Sheriff Dale Haas, who wept when he reported the shootings to the media, said men working on a new school building spotted the suspects and told police, who captured them as they fled through a wooded area nearby.

    The boys had handguns and rifles, including a high-powered 30.06 hunting rifle. A white van was found about a half-mile from the school with guns and ammunition in it. It wasn’t immediately clear if the vehicle was related to the shootings. The boys were running in the direction of the van when they were caught, investigators said.

    What about the shooters, you say? From Wikipedia…

    Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, both came from divorced families. Mitchell’s mother had remarried an inmate at the prison where she was a guard. He reportedly had a good relationship with his stepfather and siblings. Adults who knew him describe him as quiet and respectful. He faithfully attended church and sang in choir. However, his fellow students told a different story about a darker side. They said he was a braggart and a bully. He talked of wanting to belong to gangs and smoke marijuana. He also spoke of “having a lot of killing to do” and a bitter grudge against Shannon Wright. It was also commented that both Andrew and Mitchell also had an unhealthy fascination with violent rap songs and television shows. The news media reported that both youths wept in custody and showed remorse. They both asked for a Bible and a minister. The guards at the Jonesboro jail, however, told reporters that the boys slept and ate well and for the most part seemed unaware of the severity of their crime. They said they only acted that way when their parents were present. Fellow inmates at the facility where the two youths were later confined reported that the two “bragged” about their offenses, particularly about the murder of Shannon Wright. An “American Justice” show on the case also brought to light the fact that shortly before the shootings, Mitchell had been charged with molesting a little girl during a visit with his father. Even had he avoided the schoolyard massacre, he was facing trial for this supposed offense.

    Emphasis mine.

    Now Mitchell Johnson is about to be released…

    Because of a since-closed loophole in Arkansas’ juvenile justice system, the state had no way to hold Johnson and Golden beyond their 18th birthdays. Federal prosecutors used weapons laws to keep the boys locked up until age 21.

    For all those “child advocates” who think that he needed “help” instead of jail…

    Mitchell Wright, whose wife, Shannon, was killed in the attack, said he has tried to explain Johnson’s release to his son, who was 2 when his mother died.

    “He’s told me, ‘I don’t think it’s right he gets to go home to his momma, and I only get to see my momma on videos,“

    It’s not right at all.

  • Eric Schorling

    Eric Schorling

    Refusing deal, teen will stand trial in attack:

    This is a very unusual story. I don’t normally deal with this kind of school violence, but someone sent it to me, and who am I to deny my readers?

    Anyway, back in September, 17-year-old Eric Schorling was charged with attempted murder after stabbing his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Lambert, in the back with an 8-inch kitchen knife in the halls of Romeo High School. Check out these chilling details…

    Authorities said that jealousy motivated Schorling to arrive at the high school that autumn morning with an 8-inch kitchen knife hidden in his right shirtsleeve. The weekend before, Schorling bragged about his plans to friends, Kaplan said.

    At school, a female acquaintance asked Schorling what he was doing there. He flashed his knife and stated, “I’m going to stab my old girlfriend.”

    As they talked, Nicole Lambert walked to her first-period class and Schorling stabbed her in the back, Kaplan said, missing her heart by one-third of a centimeter.

    As Schorling fled the school, another teen questioned his presence there, Kaplan said. “Eric laughed and exclaimed, ‘I just stabbed Nicole in the back,’ ” he said.

    Emphasis mine.

    Back in the Spring, a plea was agreed to that Schorling would serve at least six years and nine months. But then he escaped from the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center. Now the deal is off and Schorling wants to take his case to trial. If found guilty, he would be looking at a minimum of 10 years. And here’s the best part. Apparently, all the criminal defense attorneys in Macomb County must have attended the same clown college because Schorling’s attorney is just as funny as Andrew Osantowski’s attorney was…

    Defense lawyer Arthur Garton said he will present a “solid defense” for his client.

    I’m dying to hear this defense. The mind boggles at the possibilities.

    TOF to James of MWP.