Summary of the 1997 Bethel Regional High School shooting committed by Evan Ramsey. Note: this is for informational, educational purposes only. Post is below the cut.
Background:
Evan Ramsey was born on February 8th, 1981, in Anchorage, Alaska to Don and Carol Ramsey. When Evan was five years old, his father was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment at the Anchorage Times building. The incident occurred after Don Ramsey’s attempts to speak with government officials about his family’s poor living conditions were unsuccessful. This failure led Don on a campaign to slander government officials in hopes that they would be removed from office. One part of this campaign included a full-page advertisement against Senator Frank Murkowski, which was paid for by Don. The advertisement only ran for a short period of time before being redacted from future publications. On October 21st, 1986, Don Ramsey entered the Anchorage Times building with guns, grenades, and other hand weapons with the intent of killing Robert Atwood, the publisher he deemed responsible for the removal of his advertisement and a fire that caused extensive damage to the Ramsey’s apartment a few months prior. He was subdued by employees in the building and arrested.
After her husband’s arrest, Evan’s mother spiraled into a severe case of alcoholism and began dating abusive men. As a result of neglect, Evan and his brothers were placed in the foster care system. The Ramsey brothers lived in ten foster homes in the span of two years, many of which ranged from unsuitable to violent. In one of these foster homes, Evan and his brother faced severe physical abuse from their foster parents. The biological son of these parents would also torture Evan and his brother; being attacked, urinated on, and sexually abused were common occurrences. After a school nurse noticed signs of physical abuse on Evan and his brother, the Department of Youth and Family Services was notified, and the boys were relocated to the home of Sue Hare. Evan described Sue as a positive role model for him. When he told her about the bullying he faced at school, she encouraged him to report the instances of bullying and to not retaliate. However, his problems in school persisted.
“Well I can tell you that the Superintenant Sue Hare has been the nicest person I’ve ever met cause she took both William and I in and didn’t get any money for it, and she like was a mother for William and me.“ - excerpt from Evan Ramsey’s suicide note written shortly before the shooting (1997)
Evan had been dealing with depression as early as the age of 10, and even attempted suicide (possibly multiple times) between the ages of 10-16.
School Life:
Along with his ever-changing and abusive home life, Evan claimed to be frequently teased and bullied at school. He has stated that this was likely due to him being mixed– he was targeted by both white and Indigenous students, and he did not feel accepted by either group. Students nicknamed him Screech after a character from the television show Saved by the Bell. Former friends of Evan described him, along with the rest of their friend group, as outsiders. Despite being a target for physical and verbal bullying, Evan was described as an empathic and funny friend.
Around two weeks before the shooting, students at Bethel Regional High School had heard of Evan’s plans to bring a gun to school. Reports claim that at least 15 people knew of his plans. In fact, some students encouraged these plans and helped him. Two of Evan’s friends, James Randall and Matthew Charles, helped Evan organize a “hitlist” of people who had bullied him. James also taught the inexperienced Ramsey how to load and shoot a gun. Instead of taking the threat seriously and reporting it, students planned to bring cameras to school to record the event.
Shooting:
On February 19th, 1997, Evan Ramsey concealed a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun in his pants and walked to his normal bus stop. He made small talk with others while waiting for the bus. After arriving at Bethel Regional High School, Evan entered the commons area and shot three students. Although the other two students survived their injuries, Fifteen-year-old Josh Palacios, who was shot in the abdomen, succumbed to his injuries shortly after. Art teacher Reyne Athanas and another teacher pleaded with Evan to stop three times. Instead of surrendering, Evan continued the shooting in the main lobby, where he fatally shot principal Ron Edwards twice. He returned to the commons with the intention of killing himself. After shooting one round at nearby police, he positioned the shotgun under his chin. However, Evan did not shoot. He abruptly decided to not kill himself and was quoted saying “I don't want to die” as he placed the gun on the ground and surrendered.
“I don’t know who came to the school that day, but it wasn’t my friend. It wasn’t Evan, and I think whoever that person was that came must have killed him too.” - a friend of Evan Ramsey, interviewed for “Bethel, 20 Years Later”
Evan wrote two notes prior to the shooting:
“I have thought to myself, what kind of damage can a 12 gauge slug do to a human’s internal organs or their head? Well today I found out, and so did everyone else that is in school . . . No, I am not on drugs . . . ciggerettes, that’s all. I am not really depressed just that the fact that I want people, the world, or maybe just Bethel, to know how [expletive] and cruel the world is or can be. This school has got to get its [expletive] together ’cause there are too many deaths this past 2–3 years. Well I can tell you that the Superintenant Sue Hare has been the nicest person I’ve ever met cause she took both William and I in and didn’t get any money for it, and she like was a mother for William and me. But anyway I’m dead you guys are living, you should be happy.“
“Hey Every body!! I feel rejected, rejected, not so much alone, but rejected. I feel this way because the day-to-day treatment I get usually it’s positive but the negative is like a cut, it doesn’t go away really fast. I figure by the time you guys are reading this I’ll probably have done what I told EVERYONE I was going to do. Just hope 12 gauges don’t kick too hard but I do hope the shells hit more than 1 person because I am angry at more than 1 person. One of the Big [expletive] is Mr. Ron Edwards, he should be there, I was told this will be his Last year, but I know it WILL BE HIS LAST YEAR. The main reason that I did this is because I’m sick and tired of being treated this way everyday . . . By the way every one allways told me “Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover.’’ This saying is true because I was told that my teachers say that “He’s Such A Good Kid.’’ But they Say that About everyone. I don’t think I’m a good-Hearted person. LIFE SUCKS in its own way, so I killed a little and killed myself. Jail isn’t and wasn’t for me, ever”
Trial:
During the trial, the defense argued that Evan’s understanding of guns and murder were based on video games such as Doom. Specifically, he was under the impression that people could not die from a single gunshot wound. Because of this, the defense claimed he could not have foreseen or understood the effects of his actions. It was also argued that Evan was suicidal and never intended on killing anyone but himself, but one of the notes he wrote prior to the shooting implied otherwise. The letter also implied that Ron Edwards was a main target, leading to first-degree murder charges. The defense wanted to use Evan’s history of abuse in the foster care system as evidence, but this was opposed.
On December 2nd, 1998, Evan Ramsey was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and fifteen counts of second-degree assault. He was originally sentenced to 210 years, but this sentence was later changed to two 99-year sentences with the possibility of parole in 2066. James Randall and Matthew Charles were charged and sentenced as juveniles for their involvement in the shooting, but both have since been released.
Appeals and Recent News:
In 2002, Evan Ramsey attempted to appeal his case. The primary reason for the appeal was because Evan’s defense was not allowed to introduce past physical and sexual abuse as evidence. However, this appeal was denied.
In 2005, Evan Ramsey appealed his sentence, which led to the sentencing of 2 99-year sentences with the possibility of parole in 2066.
Although apathetic during the shooting and trial, Evan’s mindset towards the event has since changed. He stated in an interview that the death of his mother gave him perspective as to how drastically his actions changed the lives of others. He has stopped trying to appeal his sentence, as he realized it would only cause more pain to the families affected.
"I would tell them the situation they're in now is not half as bad as the situation they're going to be in if they do something similar to what I did. It will only get worse." - Evan Ramsey, when asked what he would tell potential school shooters (2001)
Summary of the 1998 Thurston High School Shooting committed by Kip Kinkel. Note: this is for informational and educational purposes only. Post is below the cut.
Background:
Kipland Philip Kinkel was born August 30th, 1982 to Bill and Faith Kinkel. He had one older sister, Kristin, who was about six years older than him. The family lived in Springfield, Oregon; Bill previously taught Spanish at Thurston High School and Lane Community College, and Faith was a Spanish teacher at Springfield High. Ki[ was described as a relatively normal teenager with some odd hobbies and interests. He was on the football team and enjoyed the music of Marilyn Manson and Nirvana. He was also known for being “obsessed” with bombs and guns; this fixation would only grow over time.
The Kinkel family did not seem to have any major conflicts. Kristin was a successful competitive cheerleader in college, and Bill and Faith were both popular teachers. However, Kip had some academic struggles. It was recommended that he repeat the first grade, and he was later diagnosed with dyslexia. Despite having difficulty in some academic areas, Kip thrived in science and math; in fact, he was placed in a “Gifted” program.
Mental Health / Warning Signs
Kip’s behavior began to change as he became a teenager. He was twelve years old when he began hearing voices in his head. The first time it happened, he was walking home from school; according to Kip, a male voice told him, “You need to kill everyone, everyone in the world.” When he could not find the source of the voice, he panicked. He ran to his house, grabbed the rifle he received for his birthday, and hid in his bedroom until he did not hear the voice. Soon, one voice developed into two, and then three. These voices were all male voices and would talk to each other: either to fight or to work together to manipulate Kip. These voices terrified him, and he tried to make sense of them. However, his conclusions were all based in paranoia.
“I believed that the Disney corporation was working in conjunction with the U.S. government, and they had planted a chip in my head and so the voices were coming from this chip,” - Kip Kinkel (2021)
This paranoia developed rapidly, but he went to great lengths to hide it from others. He began believing that foreign countries would invade and kill him. These fears led him to have an increased interest in weapons.
In seventh grade, he expressed an interest in building bombs and tried to obtain books such as the Anarchist’s Cookbook. He obtained a shotgun from a friend during this time as well. Faith Kinkel discovered his plans to obtain weapon-related books and grew concerned. Despite knowing about Kip’s violent interests, she did not intervene. It wasn’t until Kip started getting into legal trouble that some action was taken. In eighth grade, Kinkel and his friends were caught shoplifting CDs at the local Target. Sometime after this incident, Kip and a friend were arrested in Bend, Oregon for hitting a car with a rock from a highway overpass. These incidents led to Kip being brought to a psychologist. Kip intended to keep the voices and delusions he was having a secret. Dr. Jeffrey Hick would see Kip for nine therapy sessions and noted that he showed “no evidence of delusional thinking or other thought disorder symptoms.” It was apparent that he had a strained relationship with his parents, especially after his sister (who acted as a mediator for the family) had moved out. Kip described eating and daily functioning as a chore. He was eventually diagnosed with depression and prescribed Prozac.
“I remember freaking out. I had this plan, and this is a mess, but I had this plan to get into the military because if I got in the military, then I could get into the CIA, and if I got in the CIA, then I could get the right connects to find whoever in the government that put this chip in my brain. And being diagnosed as depressed.. this was something the voices pushed.. meant that I would not be allowed into the military. And I would not be allowed to own guns.” - Kip Kinkel (2021)
During the time of these counseling sessions (January 20th - July 30th 1997), Kip was suspended twice in late April. Despite this, he was seemingly progressing well in counseling; it seemed that Kip’s depression and anger were under control. Because of this, his father allowed him to purchase a 9mm Glock with his own money (under the agreement he would not be able to use it without his father’s supervision). In an attempt to bond, Kip and his father would go target shooting. Soon after, Kip purchased more guns: a .22 pistol from a friend (which he kept hidden) and a .22 semiautomatic rifle that his father allowed him to purchase. Kip’s obsession with explosives grew just as his obsession with guns did. In class, he gave a descriptive speech about the process of building pipe bombs with detailed illustrations.
Expulsion:
On May 20th, 1998, Kip was going to purchase another gun, a .32 caliber semi-automatic pistol, from a friend; they arranged the day before for Kip to purchase it at school. Kip paid $110 for the gun and kept it in his locker. However, this gun was stolen from the friend’s father. The father contacted the school, concerned that one of his guns was taken by one of his son’s friends. A list of possible suspects was given to Detective Warthen, but Kip’s name was not listed. After speaking to other students, Warthen questioned Kip about the gun. He confessed and was arrested, along with the friend he purchased the gun from. According to Detective Warthen, Kip was extremely worried about what his parents would think of him being charged with a felony. Bill Kinkel drove Kip home from the police station. They stopped at Burger King; Bill left Kip inside the building while he ate in the car. Kip felt as though his fears had become a reality.
“It was no longer, ‘I need to get this gun to protect myself from these very specific threats.’ Everything was a threat, everything was evil, everything was ugly, I got to the point where there was a mantra that the voices were saying, but also that I was experiencing, which was that I had to commit the crimes that I committed. The sense that I had no other choice was overwhelming. It became my reality.” - Kip Kinkel (2021)
Shooting:
According to Kip, the voices in his head continued to get louder and more unbearable. The voices he was hearing were telling him to kill his father. Around 3pm on the same day as his expulsion, Kip grabbed his .22 rifle and shot his father in the back of the head while he was drinking coffee in the kitchen. Kip dragged the body of his father to the bathroom and covered him with a sheet. Between 3pm and 6:30pm, Kip’s home phone received numerous calls: a call from an English teacher at Thurston High School looking to speak to Bill, a call from a friend of Kip asking about Bill, and a call from one of Bill’s Spanish students asking about his absence. Kip gave vague, short answers to these calls before hanging up. The final call was between Kip and two of his friends. During this call, Kip explains that he did not know that the gun was stolen, and that he had no plans to use it. According to the friends on this call, he was impatiently waiting for his mother to come home and stated that “It's over...Everything's over... it's done... Nothing matters now."
Around 6:30pm, Faith Kinkel was in the garage, getting out of her car. Kip entered the garage, told her that he loved her before shooting her twice in the back of the head, three times in the face, and once in the chest. Kip covered her body with a sheet. That night, the voices convinced him that more people needed to die.
“I know it’s really hard for people to accept and understand, but there was something very clear inside me... like suicide wasn’t an option for me until I had done this thing that they were telling me to do. And they had promised me that once I did this thing I could kill myself.” - Kip Kinkel (2021)
The following morning, May 21st, 1998, Kip dressed himself in a black trench coat and packed his .22 caliber semiautomatic rifle, the 9mm Glock, and .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol into his backpack, along with ammunition. He taped a bullet to his chest (an extra bullet to kill himself, in case he ran out of ammunition) and a hunting knife to his leg. He drove himself to Thurston High School in his mother’s Ford Explorer.
Kip parked a block away from the school and walked through the back parking lot to enter the school. In a hallway near the school’s cafeteria, Kip shot two boys, Ben Walker and Ryan Attebury with the rifle; Walker being shot in the face and Attebury on the side of his face. He continued down the hallway to the cafeteria, where he shot the remainder of the 50-round clip. Determined to keep shooting, Kip tried to use his Glock, but he was tackled by five students after one shot. Two students were killed: Ben Walker and Mikael Nickolauson. Ryan Attebury, along with 24 others, survived their injuries. As Kip was arrested, he stated he just wanted to die or be killed.
At the police station, Kip spoke to Detective Al Warthen. He was questioned about the moments leading up to the shooting, and Kip confessed to the murder of his parents. (Most of this recorded confession can be found online). Warthen left the room momentarily, and Kip managed to grab the knife he had taped to his leg. When Warthen returned, Kip yelled at Warthen to kill him before approaching him with the knife. Warthen escaped the room and locked Kip inside; He and another officer sprayed pepper spray into the room in an attempt to disarm Kip.
As detectives entered the Kinkel’s house, “Liebestod”, a song featured on the CD soundtrack of Romeo + Juliet, could be heard on repeat at a blasting volume. Upon entering the house, detectives found explosives in crawl spaces, the bodies of Bill and Faith, and a note confessing the murder of the Kinkel parents.
“I have just killed my parents! I don't know what is happening. I love my mom and dad so much. I just got two felonies on my record. My parents can't take that! It would destroy them. The embarrassment would be too much for them. They couldn't live with themselves. I'm so sorry. I am a horrible son. I wish I had been aborted. I destroy everything I touch. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I didn't deserve them. They were wonderful people. It's not their fault or the fault of any person, organization, or television show. My head just doesn't work right. God damn these VOICES inside my head. I want to die. I want to be gone. But I have to kill people. I don't know why. I am so sorry! Why did God do this to me. I have never been happy. I wish I was happy. I wish I made my mother proud. I am nothing! I tried so hard to find happiness. But you know me I hate everything. I have no other choice. What have I become? I am so sorry“ - Kip Kinkel’s written confession
Trial:
On June 16th, 1998, Kip Kinkel was indicted with 58 felony charges, including four counts of aggravated murder that he was originally charged with. Kip spent approximately 18 months in solitary confinement. He was kept in a juvenile detention center until being transferred to an adult county jail after his 16th birthday. Kip was evaluated by different doctors that came to the shared conclusion that he showed signs of paranoid schizophrenia. Due to his age, he was not given a formal diagnosis and was only given medication for a brief period of time. During his confinement, the voices only gained more control over Kip.
Just days before the trial, Kip decided to plead guilty instead of going forward with an insanity defense. He felt that a mental institution would be just as bad as prison, and he wanted to avoid a stressful trial in hopes that the voices would not bother him more than they already were.
During the sentencing, survivors, family members of the victims, and doctors testified. Many called for the harshest sentence possible. When Kristin Kinkel tried to console her brother and block out the anger surrounding him, he allegedly said, “No, I owe it to them to listen.” Kip’s defense team attempted to get a lighter sentence due to his age and mental instability. However, the notoriety of the case led to Kip receiving the harshest sentence for a juvenile. On November 2nd, 1999, Kip Kinkel was sentenced to 111-years in prison without the possibility of parole. He apologized to the survivors and families of the victims.
Appeals / Recent News:
Kip and his legal team have made multiple attempts to appeal his sentence, with no success. However, Kip has made significant progress in his life in prison. He earned his degree in global studies in 2007 and has worked as a clerk in the prison library, a yoga instructor and an electrician. Kip’s mental health has improved with the help of proper medication and therapy. He continues to advocate for criminal justice reform today. In the summer of 2021, Kip Kinkel gave his first and only interview for an article by HuffPost.
“It’s hard for me to be able to say that because, so clearly, I had so many other choices. But in that time, that’s the horror of becoming fixated in a psychotic way... I felt like I didn’t want to do what I was going to do, I had to do it. That’s what was going on in my head.” - Kip Kinkel, speaking about his crimes
Summary of the 1996 Frontier Junior High School shooting committed by Barry Loukaitis. Note: this is for informational, educational purposes only. Post is below the cut.
Background:
Barry Dale Loukaitis was born February 26th, 1981 to Joann Phillips and Terry Loukaitis. Although both parents had children from previous marriages, Barry was raised as an only child. He was known for being outgoing and incredibly intelligent. He had an above-average IQ of 116 and was an honor student with an interest in reading and writing. According to his parents, he had many friends and was a member of the student council. The Loukaitis family, previously living in Iowa and Minnesota, moved to Moses Lake, Washington when Barry was in fifth grade. Barry’s once bright personality began to change once he entered middle school.
Family Life:
Joann and Terry’s relationship became abusive, and the fallout of their marriage deeply affected Barry. Terry, a known alcoholic and womanizer, was often absent towards the end of their marriage. When he was around, he was always arguing with Joann. He refused to share any information about the family's personal or business finances with his wife, and their fights would sometimes become physical. Barry would plead with them to stop fighting, with no success. His mother would constantly confide in him about her personal and marital problems while completely ignoring her son’s declining mental state.
In January 1996, Joann filed for divorce after learning about an affair Terry was having. The discovery of this affair led Joann into a severe depression, and she began confiding in Barry about her suicidal thoughts. Obsessed with revenge, Joann told Barry of her plan for Valentine's Day: she would drive to Ellensburg (where Terry and his new girlfriend were staying at the time), break into his house, and direct him and his girlfriend to the basement at gunpoint. She planned to tie them to chairs and tell them how deeply Terry's betrayal affected her. In the end, she would shoot herself in front of them.
"I told him I was going to go to Ellensburg, tie his father and his girlfriend up in the basement in chairs.. Terry would never listen to me - I was going to make them listen to how they made me feel... I would have a gun and they wouldn't know if I was going to shoot them but at the end... I was going to shoot myself." - Joann testifying in court.
These plans worried Barry, and he tried to redirect his mother's pain. He advised her to write down her feelings rather than acting them out in a violent way. Joann never went through with her plan, but the damage had already been done to her son. Although he was already withdrawing and showing signs of a declining mental state, this event advanced Barry’s isolation. He avoided his parents, and would only eat in his room if he ate at all. Barry spent his days alone reading or watching videos.
Bullying:
Along with the conflict at home, Barry was bullied at school. He was seen as an easy target for bullying because he would never fight back. He was teased for being small for his age and kicked in the school hallways. A friend of Barry told a police officer that he would never wear shorts due to the severe bruising on his legs. Many students would later come forward about the severe physical bullying that Barry dealt with on a daily basis. A popular student, Manuel Vela, was always attempting to humiliate Barry and argued with him frequently. Vela was the opposite of Barry; he was a well-liked boy with confidence. As Barry's mental health declined, his thoughts of violence were becoming more apparent to his peers. Barry would never fight back physically, but he began making disturbing comments and threats towards anyone who targeted him. Soon, his only interactions with other students were to curse them out or threaten them. One of his remaining friends, Zachary Ufkes, stated that Barry was fixated on violence and spoke about going on a killing spree because it would be "fun".
"Manuel called Barry a "f*ggot" multiple times. After that, Barry said, 'Do you treasure your life?' He said it under his breath like he didn't want him to hear it, but he did." - Amos Frisbie, a friend of Barry Loukaitis, testifying about an argument Vela and Loukaitis had weeks before the shooting
Shooting:
Frontier Junior High School had a delayed start on February 2nd, 1996, due to the cold weather conditions. However, Barry did not leave his house until around 1pm. During this time, Barry stole his father's revolver and hunting rifle; he also took a pistol from his mother's car. He dressed in all black: including a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a $240 trench coat his mother had bought for him two days prior. He cut a hole in one pocket of the trench coat to hide the rifle in. Finally, he strapped two ammunition belts (with 78 rounds of ammunition) around himself. His father offered him a ride to school, but he refused. Barry walked about 1 1/2 miles to Frontier Junior High School.
Loukaitis entered the building through a side entrance. He passed teachers and students before ending up at room 15, where he had his fifth period algebra class. The class had already begun as Barry opened the door. He immediately aimed and fired at Manuel Vela, who was sitting at the desk closest to the door. Vela was shot in the chest and died instantly. Loukaitis shot three times, hitting students Arnold Fritz and Natalie Hintz. Fritz was shot in the chest, and Hintz was shot in the upper torso, almost severing her right arm. Algebra teacher Leona Caires pleaded with Barry to stop, but he shot her in the back as she attempted to hide. Witnesses say that Barry was disturbingly calm during the shooting. He told the class, "This sure beats algebra, doesn't it?"
"He was calm. He was making jokes. He also told us not to worry... that he wouldn't hurt more of us." - Cory McNutt, survivor sitting closest to the victims.
Loukaitis tried to set the panicked room into order. At this point, Jon Lane, a physical education teacher who was two classrooms away from the shooting, began walking towards room 15 after hearing the commotion. He opened the door and saw Leona Caires’ dead body and Loukaitis with a rifle. Lane quickly hid under the teacher's desk, but Barry ordered him to stand up. He initially refused, stating he was too afraid. A decision had to be made when Loukaitis threatened to start shooting students if Lane did not stand up.
"I told him to point the gun up and away and I would stand." - Jon Lane, teacher
Jon convinced Barry to let him take three students out of the classroom; the wounded Natalie Hintz, a student with diabetes, and Arnold Fritz (who later passed away in the hospital). Each of the three students were taken out individually. During this time, police were attempting communication by talking through the classroom door and calling the classroom phone. Barry ordered Jon to give him the phone, which Barry proceeded to throw onto the floor and break. Although he had initially threatened to shoot more students if police continued to intervene, Loukaitis decided to end the shooting. He told police “to give him 10 minutes to get the room in order." Each student was directed to the back of the room at gunpoint, and Jon Lane was told that he would be taken as a hostage. A black plastic bag was secured over the muzzle of the rifle with rubber bands. Lane was told to put the gun in his mouth, but he refused. After consistent demands from Loukaitis, he pretended to comply and tackled him to the wall when he was close enough. As he unarmed Loukaitis, the remaining students escaped while law enforcement entered. He was immediately handcuffed; he did not resist arrest.
"He was acting shockingly calm. I expected to see a look of remorse, some facial expression. He was very calm... A sergeant made a comment to him, like `Look what you've done.' Loukaitis said, 'I know.'" - Detective Paul Harder
Two hours after being arrested, Barry was interrogated by Detective Sgt. Dave Ruffin. He denied his opportunity to call his parents and a lawyer, stating he did not like lawyers. Loukaitis seemed uncertain of the events of his own doing. He could not recall the amount of people he shot or what his intentions were for the shooting. The interrogation ended abruptly when Ruffin told Loukaitis that his mother had called the family’s lawyer, who advised him to stop speaking. Barry was then taken to his cell where he quickly fell asleep.
“He was a completely different person. I was shocked, horrified. I didn’t know what to think. It was like the whole thing was a nightmare. It was as if all of this stuff that had been boiling up inside of him all of a sudden started coming out. He was scary looking." - Terry Loukaitis, father of Barry Loukaitis
Trial:
Both the preliminary hearings and trial faced many complications and delays. Primarily, changes in Barry’s defense and the judge presiding the case caused concern and delay for the trial. The lawyers involved in the trial changed multiple times, and many of them were later viewed as incompetent.
On September 27th, 1996, it was decided that Barry would stand trial as an adult. The trial officially began on August 15th, 1997. Loukaitis pleaded innocent by reason of insanity. Although bullying seemed to be the implied motive, it was not the focus of the trial. The defense for Loukaitis centered around his dysfunctional family and underlying mental illness. Court-appointed psychiatrists testified with varying conclusions on Barry’s mental health. Some believed that Barry was in a deep state of psychosis, and therefore could not be held entirely accountable for the shooting. Others believed that Barry was mentally ill, but was fully aware of his actions and their consequences. Prosecutors argued against the claims of debilitating mental illness, using Loukaitis’ intricate planning as evidence.
"He felt like he was God and would laugh to himself. He felt he was superior to other people, and then those feelings were later replaced by hate, disdain, and not measuring up." - John Petrich, psychiatrist
Barry’s parents, former friends, and classmates testified of his gradual descent into hatred and isolation. In the end, Barry Loukaitis was found guilty of 2 counts of first-degree murder, 1 count of second-degree murder, 1 count of first-degree assault, 1 count of second-degree assault, and 16 counts of aggravated kidnapping on September 24th 1997. Since he was being tried as an adult and the insanity plea was denied, a life sentence was almost inevitable. Manuel Vela Sr., father of victim Manuel Vela, wished that Barry was eligible for the death penalty. Alice Fritz, mother of victim Arnold Fritz, stated that she wished Barry would be sent to a treatment facility until he was an adult. On October 10th, 1997, Barry Loukaitis was sentenced to two life sentences plus 205 years without the possibility of parole.
"There is no happy ending here. We still hope that somehow Barry can get some help." - Alice Fritz
Resentencing:
In 2012, a ruling in the Miller v. Alabama case changed how juvenile offenders were sentenced. Sentencing juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole was now deemed unconstitutional. Because of this, juveniles who were previously given this sentence could be resentenced.
Barry Loukaitis was set to be re-sentenced in April of 2017. Before the resentencing, a handwritten letter by Barry was given to the Grant County Superior Court. The letter not only contained an apology for his actions, but Loukaitis also stated that he would not fight any sentence given and wanted the court to 'defer to the desires of the victims' families.' He expressed his deep regret and remorse for committing the shooting.
During the resentencing, families of the victims and survivors spoke. Some held the same views as they did during the original sentencing, while some felt sympathy for Loukaitis. Barry spoke briefly towards the end of the resentencing, apologizing and giving some explanation to his actions
"When we talked Barry, I told you that I hope you could wake up in the morning and know that if you could have a good day, Arnie’s mom was happy with that and you should not feel guilty for any joy you could find in your life. I still mean that. You have value. I hope that you can experience joy and purpose. I challenge you to do that." - Alice Fritz, mother of victim Arnold Fritz
"As I sit here, I am still waiting for the day my sorrow decreases. I don’t care what you’re going through. Your sentence was supposed to be final, like death is final. I’m being victimized all over again.” - Natalie Hintz, survivor
“The short answer is that I was afraid, I was angry and I was jealous. That’s not the full explanation, but I was in a situation where I was going through the same things that every other kid did and I didn’t see it. I didn’t know that everyone else went through that. And when I started feeling rejected, instead of reaching out to anyone, or saying something to anyone, I just concealed it and instead of facing my own problems and admitting that there was something wrong with me, I turned that behavior outward toward others." - Barry Loukaitis
Barry Loukaitis was resentenced to 189 years in prison.
this blog is dedicated to informational true crime content. i primarily post about barry loukaitis, adam lanza, and pre-columbine shooters.
i've been in the tcc since 2016/2017 and started posting my own content in 2019. my most popular blog was @doomedvodka, which i now use as a backup. my posts are for educational purposes only, with no intention of glorification.
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