Father of Joplin school shooter pleads guilty:
Gregory White, the father of Memorial Middle school shooter Thomas White, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Missouri to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
He’s looking at 10 years and a $250K fine. A date for sentencing has not been announced yet, and a hearing is being held today to see if Thomas White will be tried as an adult.
Student shot, killed at Tacoma high school:
TACOMA-A male student was shot to death at Foss High School this morning and police said about two hours later that they had a captured a suspect.
No identities released as of yet.
Thanks to Ima.
Officials: Student Shot by Gunman at Washington State High School Dies:
The 1st day back from Christmas Break and we’ve had a school shooting. An unidentified male student was shot at Foss High School, in Tacoma, Washington, and died on the way to the hospital. A school official is quoted as saying that they have a strong suspect that ran from campus. As of this article, it is unknown if the killer is in custody or not. I’ll bring more to you as soon as I get it.
HT to Steve Huff.
In our view: Memorial shooting:
Over the years on this site, there has been a lot of debate about trying juveniles as adults for school shootings and the like. The latest debate rages over Memorial Middle School shooter Thomas White. To refresh your memory, White brought his father’s MAC-90 assault rifle to school, firing one round into the ceiling before the gun jammed, preventing any bloodshed. A lot has been argued about his intent. I think this article should clear up his intent, yet I’m sure the debate will still go on. This is from an editorial in the Joplin Globe which favors trying White as an adult, but it reveals one fact that I didn’t know of until now…
We will disagree in this case, though every instance must be looked at separately. If anyone doubts the intentions of this disturbed young man, they should re-examine testimony in last week’s hearing in which a juvenile detention officer reported a conversation between White and another boy on Oct. 10, the day after the incident.
The boy remarked to White that he should have gone ahead and shot Principal Steven Gilbreth in the head.
“I would have shot him in the head,” White reportedly replied, “but my f—— gun wouldn’t shoot.”
Seventh-grader to stand trial as adult in middle school incident:
Thomas White will be tried as an adult. The 13-year-old who fired a MAC-90 assault rifle inside of Memorial Middle School in Joplin, Missouri has been certified by Jasper County Circuit Court Judge William Crawford to stand trial as an adult.
Crawford said he based his decision on the seriousness of the offense and the apparent violent nature of the boy’s actions.
Juvenile officer April Foulkes testified Wednesday that she recommended certification of White to stand trial as an adult because if he was tried in juvenile court, he could be released within six months to a year. She said if he was prosecuted as an adult and convicted, White could be sentenced to a dual-jurisdiction program of the state and placed at a secure-care center in Montgomery City until he turns 18.
Now let’s hear from the “He’s old enough to fire a gun but not old enough to go to prison” crowd…
White’s lawyer, Chuck Lonardo, argued at the hearing that the boy is too young to be certified for trial as an adult. He said while treatment of the boy is needed, such treatment could best be accomplished by adjudicating him as a juvenile.
He also said the court could order that White be kept in custody until he turned 18.
Lonardo called clinical psychologist Kevin Whisman to testify about a psychological evaluation of the boy that he conducted after the incident. Whisman said in the weeks leading up to the shooting, White was feeling increased pressure to improve his grades, mostly coming from his father, who the boy said had threatened to beat him with a belt if his grades did not improve.
As we know now the father is no prize either but suck it up, kid. My dad threatened me with a belt all the time, and I was bullied too. But just because your dad and other kids at school are assclowns, it’s no reason to kill other people. Now you’ve basically thrown your life away, and you must be held responsible for your actions.
Joplin middle-school student could stand trial as adult:
Authorities in Joplin, Missouri, are seeking to have Thomas White tried as an adult. White is the 13-year-old who brought a MAC-90 assault weapon to Memorial Middle School and fired a round into the ceiling. The gun luckily jammed before any bloodshed could occur.
In related news, White’s father, Gregory, has pleaded guilty today to firearm possession. Since the elder White is a convicted felon, he is not permitted to own firearms. He’s looking at a maximum of 10 years and a possible $250,000 fine.
D-A says she won’t appeal judge’s ruling regarding school records:
Like I theorized last week, Sauk County District Attorney Pat Barrett said that her case against Eric Mainshock will not be affected by the recent ruling that Hainstock’s school records will be sealed…
Barrett says she sought the boy’s school records as a matter of routine in an investigation of a crime at a school that involved school personnel. But she says she doesn’t anticipate needing the records to prosecute the case, given the number of witnesses and some admissions by the defendant.
For those of you just joining us, Eric Hainstock shot and killed Weston High School principal John Klang in front of witnesses.
Hopefully, prosecuting Hainstock will be a slam dunk.
Thanks to an anonymous German reader, we have a link to Sebastian Bosse’s diary.
My German skills are basically non-existent, but I do recognize at least one phrase. On the entry dated 26.09.2006, which is September 26th for us non-Europeans, he wrote the phrase ERIC HARRIS IST GOTT. It doesn’t take a genius to know that says, “Eric Harris is god”. In the same entry, he also invokes the names of Dylan Klebold, Kip Kinkel, and Kimveer Gill.
On the following page assuming that’s from the same date is what appears to be a hit list and possibly a list of names of people to spare. From November 6th on, he writes exclusively in English. On November 17th, he states that he is “not a fucking psycho”. I beg to differ, but I’ve already expounded on that.
On November 18th, he laments over the fact that he never had a girlfriend. Neither did I until I was almost 20, but so what? Again, it’s not a reason to shoot up a school. There is no reason to shoot up a school. Cowards like this are just trying to justify to themselves about their murderous intent. It’s not the world’s fault that you don’t have a girlfriend. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. And after I got into my mid to late 20s, I had a lot of girlfriends. So trust me, you’re not going to go your whole life without a girlfriend, and there is no woman alive out there worth killing yourself or anybody else over.
He also makes a point that he’s not gay, not that there’s anything wrong with that, he says. He stated that he liked the character Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil video games. Almost like she’s a real person, which leads me to believe that Bosse was detached from reality. He says that’s why he named one of his guns Jill. He also says that he named his other gun after Homer Simpson’s gun. I must have missed that episode.
Then he talks about how much he loves his family and how much he hates himself for hurting them like this. If he had loved his family so much, he wouldn’t have done what he did. He committed one of the most selfish acts a person could commit.
He then states that he hopes the other outcasts at his school will be treated better. I can almost guarantee they won’t. Bullies and other criminals don’t care about the repercussions of their actions, so they’re probably just going to come down even harder on the outcasts. Then he says he hopes some of the outcasts will be like him and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, heroes. Like I’ve said before, none of them are heroes. People like Bosse, Harris, and Klebold are now and have always been cowards. Unable to deal with their own issues, they take the cowardly, murderous way out and make things worse for other outcasts.
That’s not a hero.
Teen guilty in Rocori killings to challenge murder conviction:
John Jason McLaughlin, the Minnesota teen sentenced to life in prison for the shootings of Rocori High students Seth Bartell and Aaron Rollins, is now challenging the insanity law used in Minnesota.
If you remember, McLaughlin was found sane in the killings. His attorney is now arguing that the insanity law, known as the M’Naghten Rule, is outdated and doesn’t apply to juveniles…
McLaughlin’s attorney, Davi Axelson, is expected to challenge the sentence.
“The M’Naghten Rule is outdated for everyone, but it’s worse when it’s considered for a 15-year-old, whose brain may not fully develop until the age of 21,” said Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, a mental-health advocate. Greiling said she plans to again introduce a bill seeking to update the M’Naghten Rule or replace it with a standard developed by the American Bar Association.
We’re not talking about a toddler here. We’re talking about a 15-year-old boy who made the conscious choice to shoot and kill two other students, one at point-blank range. Most people know by the age of 15 that shooting and killing someone is illegal.
More information on the M’Naghten Rule…
Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, who is among the many Minnesota county attorneys who support the M’Naghten Rule, counters: “It’s clearly the best test out there.”
According to the M’Naghten Rule, only people who do not know right from wrong or who do not understand the nature of their acts can be found not guilty by reason of mental illness. People found legally insane are then committed indefinitely to a secure mental hospital rather than a prison.
Twenty-eight states use the rule or a variation of it because “it’s such a simple, easily understood concept,” Backstrom said. “Other tests focus on ambiguous terms or are subject to experts’ opinions. M’Naghten is pretty straightforward.”
Now let’s hear from the Helen Lovejoy’s of the world…
But that doesn’t mean it’s not outdated, said Sue Abderholden, executive director of the Minnesota branch of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
“Even England doesn’t use it anymore,” she said. “The M’Naghten standard is so strict. It’s: Do you know right from wrong? What if you do … but the voices inside your head override what you know is right and wrong? So, you don’t meet the standards.
“The children’s thing is a whole other issue. As a society, we have to decide, Do we treat children differently? And what is the cutoff?”
Except for the fact that McLaughlin didn’t hear voices in his head. He was faking it specifically for an insanity plea. Is this really the kid you want to use as your poster boy to challenge the M’Naghten Rule? One who wasn’t crazy, to begin with?
Luckily, the Minnesota Supreme Court has summarily rejected challenges like this to the M’Naghten Rule.
Judge Rules Accused Teen Shooter’s Records Sealed:
A Wisconsin judge has ruled that the school records obtained by the prosecution against Eric Hainstock will remain sealed and will not be used by the prosecution…
The ruling comes after Eric Hainstock’s attorney argued that the records are confidential and the subpoena to get them does not show how they could tie into the September shooting of Principal John Klang at Weston Schools in Cazenovia.
Sauk County Circuit Judge Patrick Taggart issued the ruling denying the prosecutors’ request on Monday.
Hainstock’s lawyer, Debra O’Rourke, argued at a Nov. 3 hearing that the subpoena was far too broad and that prosecutors were searching for more charges to file. Hainstock faces a charge in adult court of first-degree intentional homicide and a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Another Hainstock attorney, Catherine Ankenbrandt, said Tuesday they were pleased with the judge’s ruling and that he had decided correctly.
Honestly, I don’t think the prosecution really needs them, since Hainstock kind of shot John Klang dead in front of witnesses. But I guess it never hurts to have more ammunition to put someone away, so to speak.