TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: Red Lake High School

  • Jourdain trial delayed

    Jourdain trial delayed

    Jourdain Red Lake shootings trial to be delayed:

    The trial of Louis Jourdain, who was arrested in conjunction with the Red Lake shooting, has had his trial postponed…

    Originally scheduled to begin Nov. 14 in federal court in Minneapolis, the trial is now targeted to start sometime in mid-December, the source said.

    Jourdain is facing charges for his alleged role in the March 21 fatal shootings at Red Lake High School in which his cousin, 16-year-old Jeffrey Weise, killed nine people and then took his own life.

    Prosecutors have not said what Jourdain is accused of doing. Sources with knowledge of the investigation have said he is charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

  • Media sues to open Jourdain trial

    Media sues to open Jourdain trial

    Star Tribune, AP sue to open Jourdain trial:

    Both the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune are suing to have the trial of Louis Jourdain open to the public. Jourdain was arrested in conjunction with the Red Lake shootings, but the proceedings have remained close since he is being tried as a juvenile.

    I’m torn on this because on the one hand, I think a trial of this magnitude should be open to the public whether the suspect in question is a juvenile or not. On the other hand, though, it irks me to no end to see the arrogance of the media who think it’s their God-given right to have complete access to any and all information, no matter how sensitive the information is.

    As much as I personally would like to see the case opened up, I think the media is once again way off base. They are not entitled to know everything.

  • Rumors spark student restrictions at Red Lake

    Rumors spark student restrictions at Red Lake

    Rumors prompt Red Lake school district to restrict movements:

    Unspecified rumors at Red Lake High School District prompted school officials to restrict student movements throughout the district today.

    Students were restricted to their classrooms and were not allowed to use the restrooms without an escort. School administrators were tight-lipped as to what exactly the rumors were.

  • Jourdain trial set for Nov. 14th

    Jourdain trial set for Nov. 14th

    Red Lake shooting suspect’s trial will begin Nov. 14:

    This is basically an article about how Louis Jourdain’s trial will start on November 14th. He was arrested in conjunction with the Red Lake High School shootings, where Jeff Weise killed 7 people at the school after killing his grandfather and his grandfather’s girlfriend. As usual, not too many details are being released because Jourdain is being tried as a juvenile, but popular opinion says he’s being tried for conspiracy to commit murder.

    Prosecutors are alleging that Jourdain and Weise had worked on a plan for more than a year via e-mail and instant messages to kill Weise’s grandfather, steal his weapons and kill people at the school.

    Since Jourdain was at the school at the time of the shooting, I don’t know if this makes him an accomplice or if he had prior knowledge that the attack was coming. That’s just my opinion based on what the media is reporting. The truth may be entirely different, and we may never know.

  • Louis Jourdain to be tried as a juvenile

    Louis Jourdain to be tried as a juvenile

    Jourdain to be tried as juvenile:

    Louis Jourdain was the 16-year-old kid who was arrested in connection with the Red Lake school shooting. The charge was never announced, since he is a juvenile.

    Now according to family members of Jourdain, he is going to be tried as a juvenile. So we may never know what Louis Jourdain is being accused of.

  • The Actual Victim

    The Actual Victim

    Survivor of Red Lake shootings looking forward to school:

    Read about what’s happened to one of the Red Lake survivors…

    Steven Cobenais, 15, lost an eye and suffered a severe brain injury but didn’t lose his sense of humor. Doctors predicted he’d face a life of paralysis and severe mental incapacity, but he has beaten the odds. He’s walking and hopes to learn to drive, though doctors aren’t sure how far he’ll progress and his parents say he has changed.

    Cobenais told the station he remembered gunman Jeff Weise as a “goth” and “weird,” but didn’t know the 16-year-old well and had no idea why Weise targeted him.

    “He asked me if I believe in God, and I said ‘Yeah,’ and he shot me,” he recalled.

    Cobenais’ parents never left his bedside at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, N.D. When they made it back home to the Red Lake Indian Reservation, they found their home had been vandalized and many of his most treasured possessions had been stolen.

    “All my games, and clothes,” he said.

    His father lost his summer job after Cobenais had a seizure in June. Because of the vandalism and expenses the family gave up their home and moved in with Steven’s grandmother.

    Cobenais still faces two more major reconstructive operations: one to put a metal plate in his head and one to put in a prosthetic eye.

    And some people have the nerve to say Jeff Weise is a victim.

    A fund has been set up to help the Cobenais family with their expenses. Donations can be mailed to: Steven Cobenais Fund, Deerwood Bank, P.O. Box 1278, Bemidji, MN 56607

  • Louis Jourdain may be tried as an adult

    Louis Jourdain may be tried as an adult

    Feds Want To Try Jourdain As An Adult:

    For those of you who may not remember, Louis Jourdain was arrested in connection with the Red Lake shootings back in March. He is also the son of Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr.

    He is alleged to have been some kind of an accomplice to Jeff Weise.

    Not a lot of information has been released about his case because he is a juvenile.

    Since the federal government has jurisdiction over the Red Lake Reservation, he would be tried in federal court and the feds want to try him as an adult. If he were to be convicted as a juvenile, he’d be free at the age of 21. He is 17 now. If he were to be convicted as an adult, he would be facing life in prison. A hearing to determine his status is scheduled to take place this week.

    UPDATE: I found an interesting bit of information from this article from the Pioneer Press…

    Sources with knowledge of the federal investigation have said that Weise and Jourdain wrote e-mails back and forth in which they planned the shooting spree.

    Those sources have also said there were to be additional targets besides the school.

    (Log in Info)

  • Some good news for once

    Some good news for once

    Student Injured in Red Lake Shooting Leaves Hospital:

    Some good news out of Red Lake for once. Jeffrey May was allowed to leave the hospital today. May suffered a stroke after being shot by Jeff Weise while May was trying to defend two other students. Unfortunately, his mother Jodi is still in guarded condition after suffering a stroke believed to have been brought about by the stress of the situation. My thoughts and prayers are still with the May family at this time.

  • Louis Jourdain Charged

    Louis Jourdain Charged

    Tribe leader’s son faces 2 federal charges in reservation shootings:

    (Log in info)

    Louis Jourdain, son of Red Lake tribal leader Floyd Jourdain Jr., is being charged with two federal charges in connection with the Red Lake shootings. However, since Louis Jourdain is a juvenile, the nature of the charges have not been released.

    The St. Paul Pioneer Press is trying to get the records made public…

    After reporters were excluded from initial court hearings for the youth in Duluth, Minn., attorneys for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and its sister paper, the Duluth News Tribune, filed motions to open the court proceedings and unseal the records.

    The newspapers argued that while juvenile cases are normally private, the newsworthiness of this case made it unique. “It’s not a run-of-the-mill juvenile case,” said Joseph J. Roby Jr., the Duluth attorney who represented the papers.

  • Another Red Lake Victim

    Another Red Lake Victim

    Wounded Student’s Mother Shows Signs Of Recovery:

    I guess we can officially say the Red Lake shootings have claimed another victim.

    I told you about Jeff May here and how he was shot in the face by Jeff Weise after stabbing Weise with a pencil while trying to defend two girls. After he was shot, Jeff May suffered a stroke. His mother, Jodi May, also suffered a stroke on April 30th. Family members attribute it to the stress of the unimaginable situation that she and her family are going through.

    It’s been a week since Jodi’s surgery, and her family has seen what they believe to be signs that she will recover. Doctors have removed the tube that was draining fluid from her head.

    “She gives us the thumbs up or down when we ask her questions,” Trisha said, the same communication Jeff used during the earliest stages of his recovery.

    “She opens her eyes,” Shane added. “She squeezes our hands when we ask her to.”

    No one can say for sure whether she understands everything they say. But they believe.

    Please keep the May family in your thoughts and prayers.