sturmruger
Member
I am posting this because it is I have always had questions about why these kids go out and kill classmates and teachers. After reading the thoughts by Jason's pychologist and the judge in his case I feel like I have a much better understanding of what happened.
This is a very long read, but if you have time to kill I think you will find that it is worth it. I mostly skimmed the psychological evaluation, and found the judges thoughts to be very interesting. My impression of the Judge is that he is a very wise man, and I think he did the right thing in finding this kid guilty.
Besides the families that lost their sons, I feel terrible for the father and mother of the shooter. They were so in the dark he had them completely fooled into thinking he was just fine. It is interesting that the judge places a lot of weight in the fact that this shooter had taken a gun safety class the year before the shooting.
I am going to have to break these up a bit so that I can fit it all in this thread.
Background of story:
Teen guilty of murder in Rocori shootings
Judge now must determine McLaughlin's mental state at time of classmates' killings
BY SHANNON PRATHER
Pioneer Press
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Concluding that the only reason Jason McLaughlin brought a gun to Rocori High School was to kill a rival classmate "he hated so much he wanted him dead," a judge Monday found the Cold Spring teenager guilty of first- and second-degree murder for the deaths of the classmate and a second student.
McLaughlin was convicted of committing premeditated first-degree murder when he pursued and shot fellow freshman Seth Bartell on Sept. 24, 2003, and of committing second-degree unintentional murder when a stray bullet killed senior Aaron Rollins. McLaughlin also was convicted of carrying a gun on school property but was acquitted of a felony assault charge for allegedly pointing a gun at a teacher before surrendering.
Clay County District Judge Michael Kirk rendered his verdict and then quickly turned the court's attention to the second phase of the trial: determining McLaughlin's mental state at the time of the shootings.
On Monday, a psychiatrist for the defense testified that a voice in McLaughlin's head told him to shoot Bartell for teasing him about his severe acne. McLaughlin, who turns 17 today and is being tried as an adult, has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness — paranoid schizophrenia.
In a 17-page verdict, Kirk wrote that witness and forensic evidence left "no doubt that the defendant" meant to kill.
McLaughlin checked security cameras days earlier, concealed his father's .22-caliber pistol in his gym bag and compiled a "grudge list" of students the teen later said taunted him about his skin condition.
McLaughlin shot Bartell, 14, once in the back outside a basement locker room before gym class. Rollins, 17, was hit in the neck by a stray bullet. McLaughlin, then 15, followed Bartell up two flights of stairs and shot him at close range in the forehead before surrendering.
"For a short while, (the defendant) is in the glow of the release of the anger that has its seeds as early as the sixth grade," wrote Kirk, who was brought in to handle the non-jury trial because McLaughlin's father is a Stearns County sheriff's deputy. "Some friends who see him during the time observe a 'smirky' grin of satisfaction. But shortly, the storm clouds of reality start to settle in. The consequences of his actions going forward into the future begin to enter his thoughts. Like many offenders his age, consequences aren't considered until it's too late."
Kirk said he discounted videotaped statements McLaughlin made to investigators in which the teen said he wanted only to scare Bartell, calling them "clearly inaccurate and clearly wrong," possibly because the emotional trauma of the crimes impaired McLaughlin's memory.
"Why would you bring a gun if your goal is to hurt? A baseball bat, hockey stick or a number of other objects could have accomplished that result," Kirk wrote. "The planning and premeditation for this is obvious. The intent to kill is obvious as well."
McLaughlin didn't react as Kirk read the verdict. His attorney, Daniel Eller, told reporters he disagreed with the verdict. Neither the Rollins nor the Bartell families commented after the verdict.
Prosecutors said they were pleased with the convictions but were focusing on the trial's mental illness phase, in which the defense will try to prove that McLaughlin did not comprehend his actions and did not understand they were wrong.
Psychiatrist Maureen Hackett took the stand for the defense and said McLaughlin first started hearing a voice in his head in sixth grade. The former clinical director of the St. Peter state psychiatric hospital testified that McLaughlin's family has a history of mental illness, making the teen predisposed, and that his parents were going through a stressful separation, which possibly triggered the onset of illness.
McLaughlin's delusions escalated the summer after eighth grade, Hackett testified. He had turned the voice into an older friend named "Jake," who conceived the idea that McLaughlin bring a gun to school to punish Bartell.
McLaughlin described Jake to Hackett as a mentor who wears a trench coat that changes colors. Jake, she said, helps the often shy and indecisive McLaughlin make decisions.
McLaughlin told Hackett that Jake appeared to him during the trial and told him not to testify, threatening him once with a gun to his head.
"Jake" is just one of many psychotic symptoms that Hackett says lead her to believe McLaughlin suffers from schizophrenia.
Hackett said the teasing that provoked McLaughlin to bring a gun to school also was probably part of a persecution delusion linked to his mental illness.
"There's no indication that name-calling or teasing was that severe," she said.
But Minnesota Assistant Attorney General William Klumpp Jr., in an opening statement for the second phase of the trial, said prosecutors would present experts who believe McLaughlin is faking illness.
If found not guilty by reason of mental illness, McLaughlin would be indefinitely committed to a state hospital. If not, he faces life in prison.
Here is the link to what the judge's finding in the case. It is just too long to post here.
This is a very long read, but if you have time to kill I think you will find that it is worth it. I mostly skimmed the psychological evaluation, and found the judges thoughts to be very interesting. My impression of the Judge is that he is a very wise man, and I think he did the right thing in finding this kid guilty.
Besides the families that lost their sons, I feel terrible for the father and mother of the shooter. They were so in the dark he had them completely fooled into thinking he was just fine. It is interesting that the judge places a lot of weight in the fact that this shooter had taken a gun safety class the year before the shooting.
I am going to have to break these up a bit so that I can fit it all in this thread.
Background of story:
Teen guilty of murder in Rocori shootings
Judge now must determine McLaughlin's mental state at time of classmates' killings
BY SHANNON PRATHER
Pioneer Press
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Concluding that the only reason Jason McLaughlin brought a gun to Rocori High School was to kill a rival classmate "he hated so much he wanted him dead," a judge Monday found the Cold Spring teenager guilty of first- and second-degree murder for the deaths of the classmate and a second student.
McLaughlin was convicted of committing premeditated first-degree murder when he pursued and shot fellow freshman Seth Bartell on Sept. 24, 2003, and of committing second-degree unintentional murder when a stray bullet killed senior Aaron Rollins. McLaughlin also was convicted of carrying a gun on school property but was acquitted of a felony assault charge for allegedly pointing a gun at a teacher before surrendering.
Clay County District Judge Michael Kirk rendered his verdict and then quickly turned the court's attention to the second phase of the trial: determining McLaughlin's mental state at the time of the shootings.
On Monday, a psychiatrist for the defense testified that a voice in McLaughlin's head told him to shoot Bartell for teasing him about his severe acne. McLaughlin, who turns 17 today and is being tried as an adult, has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness — paranoid schizophrenia.
In a 17-page verdict, Kirk wrote that witness and forensic evidence left "no doubt that the defendant" meant to kill.
McLaughlin checked security cameras days earlier, concealed his father's .22-caliber pistol in his gym bag and compiled a "grudge list" of students the teen later said taunted him about his skin condition.
McLaughlin shot Bartell, 14, once in the back outside a basement locker room before gym class. Rollins, 17, was hit in the neck by a stray bullet. McLaughlin, then 15, followed Bartell up two flights of stairs and shot him at close range in the forehead before surrendering.
"For a short while, (the defendant) is in the glow of the release of the anger that has its seeds as early as the sixth grade," wrote Kirk, who was brought in to handle the non-jury trial because McLaughlin's father is a Stearns County sheriff's deputy. "Some friends who see him during the time observe a 'smirky' grin of satisfaction. But shortly, the storm clouds of reality start to settle in. The consequences of his actions going forward into the future begin to enter his thoughts. Like many offenders his age, consequences aren't considered until it's too late."
Kirk said he discounted videotaped statements McLaughlin made to investigators in which the teen said he wanted only to scare Bartell, calling them "clearly inaccurate and clearly wrong," possibly because the emotional trauma of the crimes impaired McLaughlin's memory.
"Why would you bring a gun if your goal is to hurt? A baseball bat, hockey stick or a number of other objects could have accomplished that result," Kirk wrote. "The planning and premeditation for this is obvious. The intent to kill is obvious as well."
McLaughlin didn't react as Kirk read the verdict. His attorney, Daniel Eller, told reporters he disagreed with the verdict. Neither the Rollins nor the Bartell families commented after the verdict.
Prosecutors said they were pleased with the convictions but were focusing on the trial's mental illness phase, in which the defense will try to prove that McLaughlin did not comprehend his actions and did not understand they were wrong.
Psychiatrist Maureen Hackett took the stand for the defense and said McLaughlin first started hearing a voice in his head in sixth grade. The former clinical director of the St. Peter state psychiatric hospital testified that McLaughlin's family has a history of mental illness, making the teen predisposed, and that his parents were going through a stressful separation, which possibly triggered the onset of illness.
McLaughlin's delusions escalated the summer after eighth grade, Hackett testified. He had turned the voice into an older friend named "Jake," who conceived the idea that McLaughlin bring a gun to school to punish Bartell.
McLaughlin described Jake to Hackett as a mentor who wears a trench coat that changes colors. Jake, she said, helps the often shy and indecisive McLaughlin make decisions.
McLaughlin told Hackett that Jake appeared to him during the trial and told him not to testify, threatening him once with a gun to his head.
"Jake" is just one of many psychotic symptoms that Hackett says lead her to believe McLaughlin suffers from schizophrenia.
Hackett said the teasing that provoked McLaughlin to bring a gun to school also was probably part of a persecution delusion linked to his mental illness.
"There's no indication that name-calling or teasing was that severe," she said.
But Minnesota Assistant Attorney General William Klumpp Jr., in an opening statement for the second phase of the trial, said prosecutors would present experts who believe McLaughlin is faking illness.
If found not guilty by reason of mental illness, McLaughlin would be indefinitely committed to a state hospital. If not, he faces life in prison.
Here is the link to what the judge's finding in the case. It is just too long to post here.
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