TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: school shooting

  • 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.

  • 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 That order was automatically rescinded as soon as he was returned to custody.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.

  • M’Naghten Rule Questioned

    M’Naghten Rule Questioned

    McLaughlin trial puts focus on insanity defense:

    It seems that some people have their panties in a wad over Minnesota’s insanity defense law, known as the M’Naghten Rule. Especially after John Jason McLaughlin was ruled sane after being found guilty of shooting and killing two of his classmates. Which is all well and good except for one thing. McLaughlin was more than likely faking it.

    The similarities between his “symptoms” and movies and TV shows that are documented that he saw are too strong to ignore. Yet, the article declares that he had multiple diagnoses of schizophrenia. What they forget to mention is that he wasn’t diagnosed until after the killings. How convenient. But I’ve been over this before.

    The bottom line is if you relax the M’Naghten Rule, you’re just giving cold-blooded killers one more chance to walk.

  • McLaughlin Plea Rejected

    McLaughlin Plea Rejected

    Father of Rocori victim says McLaughlin rejected plea deal:

    It seems that John Jason McLaughlin was offered a plea that would have kept him out of jail…

    Tom Rollins, the father of 17-year-old victim Aaron Rollins, first told KNSI-FM in St. Cloud on Friday that some six months ago, prosecutors offered the deal to McLaughlin’s attorney, Dan Eller.

    Rollins said both his family and the family of the other victim, Seth Bartell, 14, didn’t oppose the prosecution’s offer.

    Under the plea deal, Rollins said, McLaughlin would have plead guilty to all six charges against him, including first-degree murder for shooting Bartell.

    In exchange, he would have been sentenced to 30 years, but could have served it at a mental institution until such time that he was declared mentally healthy – after which he would have served out the balance in prison, Rollins said.

    I wonder why it was rejected. It seems that McLaughlin or his lawyer took a gamble that didn’t pay off. I have a feeling, though, that this will be used in an appeal argument.

  • 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

  • The Verdict

    The Verdict

    State of Minnesota, Plaintiff vs. John Jason McLaughlin, defendant: (log in info)

    2. On or prior to September 24, 2003 John Jason McLaughlin (“Defendant”) knowingly took the following actions:

    a. The Defendant took his father’s 22-Caliber Colt semi-automatic pistol from a dresser in a spare be3droom in his home without permission. He took the gun while his father was in the shower, indicating his awareness that it was “wrong” to take his father’s gun. The Defendant also took 10 federal long rifle (hollow point) cartridges from a closet in the bedroom and loaded those cartridges into the magazine of the pistol.

    b. The Defendant had performed surveillance of the school prior to the shooting to detect security cameras and other security devices that would prevent him from carrying out his plan, indicating his awareness that it was “wrong” to take a gun to school.

    c. The Defendant hid the pistol in his gym bag and entered Rocori High School before 7:30 a.m., again indicating his awareness that it was “wrong” to take a gun to school. The Defendant initially put the gym bag containing his pistol in his locker. At 7:40 a.m. he sent an e-mail from his keyboarding classroom to at the school Brittany Kelly. The unedited-mail read:

    “Befor I go to far I have to ask you not to tell any one about this not the news cops or parents ok lets start at the top I like you I have always like you fome the first time I saw you until this varry day. I would have said some ting but I was too shy. But you were the nicest person I ever met and I thank you for that. So I guess this is goodbye my love.”

    This e-mail suggest the Defendant knew of the wrongfulness of his plan because of his request for Brittany to conceal his plan from others, his awareness that the police would be involved and his statement “befor [he goes] to far”. Through his “goodbye”, he also intimates that he was aware that his actions would prevent him from future communications with Brittany.

    d. During the third period of the school day, the Defendant removed the gun from his locker and brought it with him to his Driver’s education class. He asked other students if they had seen Cody Enstad “Cody” or Seth Bartell “Seth” at school that day.

    e. The Defendant loaded his weapon in the bathroom in the swimming locker room so he would not be discovered and prevented from carrying out his plan.

    f. Shortly thereafter, he followed Seth from the locker room to the hallway, where he aimed and fired the weapon at Seth, hitting him in the lower back on the left side. The gun jammed, and the Defendant un-jammed it to proceed with his plan

    g. Because the first shot did not stop Seth, the Defendant pursued him down the hallway, shooting the second bullet wildly and without regard to whether he wounded or killed with his shot, contradicting his assertion that he intended only to hurt, and not kill Seth. The second bullet hit and killed Aaron Rollins. The Defendant followed his target, Seth, up the stairs, having paused briefly and losing sight of him in the stairwell. The Defendant arrived in the gymnasium after Seth. When Seth turned to face him, the Defendant shot Seth in the forehead, from a distance of two feet or less.

    h. As the Defendant’s story evolved in later interviews with mental health experts, he claims he only intended to shoot Seth in the shoulder in a manner that would only hurt and not kill.

    i. However, the Defendant admitted to Agent McDonald on the date of the shootings that he planned to bring a gun to school to “shoot some people”. The Defendant admitted that he followed Seth up the stairs to “shoot him again”, indicating that he was aware that he had already hit and wounded his target.

    j. The defendant completed a gun safety course in the Spring of 2003. In that course he learned, among other things, not to point a firearm at a living creature unless you intend to kill it, and the violent impact of firearms. The test he completed at the end of the course demonstrates that he took the course seriously and was proficient in the areas covered during the course. His ability to learn and test well during his Gun Safety course is in stark contrast to his school performance during that period and indicates his academic ability when motivated.

    k. The defendant, prior to September 24, 2003 had frequently fired pistols at ranges with his father. Of the firearms he had fired, he was most familiar and proficient with the pistol involved in these shootings.

    It’s good to see the justice system working for once.

    Sentencing is set for August 30th.

  • John Jason McLaughlin Found Sane

    John Jason McLaughlin Found Sane

    Judge Rules McLaughlin Was Sane:

    My own commenters scooped me on this one. You guys rock.

    A district court judge has ruled John Jason McLaughlin was not insane when he shot and killed two classmates at Rocori High School in September 2003.

    Judge Michael Kirk delivered his verdict Tuesday. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 30.

    Kirk said it was clear McLaughlin suffered “some sort of mental impairment,” according to The Associated Press. He added, “Numerous facts laid out in this case point to the defendant knowing his actions were morally wrong.”

    McLaughlin, who was charged as an adult, could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.