Teen charged with three counts of murder in Ohio school shooting

Students and parents marched to the high school in Chardon, Ohio where three students were killed in a shooting on Monday. Thomas Lane Jr. has been charged with three juvenile counts of aggravated murder. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

CHARDON, Ohio -- A 17-year-old youth was charged Thursday with three juvenile counts of aggravated murder in shooting that killed three students at a high school.

Thomas "T.J." Lane was accused of pulling out a semiautomatic pistol he had stolen from his uncle and opening fire in the Chardon High School cafeteria on Monday. Three boys were fatally wounded, and two other students were injured. One is still in the hospital.


Lane also faces two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of felonious assault.

The juvenile counts of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder would mean only a few years in detention if Lane is convicted. But the prosecutor has already said he plans to try the boy as an adult. That could mean life in prison if he is found guilty.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

 

Discuss this post

Jump to discussion page: 1 2 3 4

He should not have any rights or even a trail. Its a waste. He killed and took family live's away..So should we take his life away. It would cost less money also and if we did this I think more people or kid's would think twice before taking another life. this is my view point spartacus

  • 5 votes
Reply#31 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:05 PM EST

Spartacus-3258865

He should not have any rights or even a trail

Not a huge fan of the Constitution or the Bill of Rights are you??

  • 5 votes
#31.1 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:26 PM EST

Spartacus-3258865 Do yourself a big favor stop watching fox news. And stop listening to Rush L, it is starting hurt that last tiny brain cell of yours.

    #31.2 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 11:34 PM EST
    Reply

    I'm often struck by the "just shoot him or hang him he is worthless" mentality that shows up so frequently in the comments section where just about any crime of violence has been committed.

    Don't you folks have any sense of due process and the other limits on government that our founders fought so hard to include as part of the foundation of our democracy? Without those processes we're just a wolf pack, or the Taliban.

    And don't you have any sense of the tragic nature of what's just happened. The murderer is a boy. A kid. He needs to be punished, of course, but what about a little reflection on what a tragedy it is that a kid did this and then, apparently, feels real remorse. His life is over too - and for what? Why did he do this? Don't you even wonder about that?

    'Going out on limb here but my guess is that you're a Christian. Your comments show the kind of hate that, in my life, i've seen most often in Christians. Muslims too of course, but not so much American Muslims.

    I relaxed from Christianity into agnosticism years ago and am a lot happier, more tolerant, more loving and more intrigued by the human condition than I was before. You don't find so many agnostic haters in my experience. Give it a try. You might find yourself seeing a bit more complexity, a bit less hate, in your life.

    • 3 votes
    Reply#32 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:09 PM EST

    billVA...

    A kid?? The murderer is 17 years old.... old enough to join the military with parental permission. I hope you know what they learn in the military.

    He's old enough to know right from wrong, life from death, and accidental from intentional. He INTENTIONALLY stole a firearm and INTENTIONALLY shot people with the INTENTION of causing great harm or death.

    There were many witnesses AND VIDEO RECORDS of him committing the crime.

    How about "due process" for his victims.... were was that? Where was HIS compassion?

    I agree that he needs to be "tried" and when found guilty, executed within 30 days. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but the truth is it IS harsh. The only thnig "society" will gain if he's imprisoned and released 20 +/- years from now is a murderer with experience and a much more dangerous individual.

    • 2 votes
    #32.1 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:32 PM EST

    billVA - I agree with you on the comments made about this horrific crime. I feel for all the families and I'm sure if any of them read this stuff it would upset them. Who wants to hear this tough trash talk showing how ignorant we are. This is a tragic situation and I wonder if we can learn anything from it that could help us to understand how this happened. I read the prosecutor state the kid was "not well" I'm assuming he meant mentally ill. What signs did he show if any that people missed? What can we learn from this so maybe we could prevent the next one. I am a Christian and I think we need compassion and understanding and deal with this with cool heads. He needs to be punished, but he needs a fair trial and if he is ill he also needs treatment. The talk you hear of string him up or shoot him - I'm thinking thats not Jesus whispering to those folks.

    • 1 vote
    #32.2 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:42 PM EST

    BillVA, This is not paradise. This is reality. What does his killing three people have to do with religion? I did not hear religion mentioned once. YOU are the one attempting to make this religious. So...a killer should just be tapped on the wrist and made to promise he won't do it again? Wow...everyone is an expert on Jesus. Jesus said, "I came not to destroy the law or profits, but to fulfill them." Jesus also said, "heaven and earth shall pass away but not one jot or one tittel shall pass away."

    About guns...people should have the right to bear arms. When criminals give up their guns, THEN law-abiding citizens should.

      #32.3 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 7:42 PM EST
      Reply

      IF he if found guilty?

        Reply#33 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:13 PM EST

        Hell with a trial. Everybody knows he killed the boys. Witnesses saw him pull the trigger. Let's just sting him up in the town square and save everybody time and money.

          Reply#34 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:14 PM EST

          

          • 1 vote
          Reply#35 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:22 PM EST

          The loved ones of the victims have a right to a swift execution of justice. I don't want them to read 20 or so years from now how this small monster might get parole, or have a book written about him. THAT IS NOT JUSTICE! Time to change a few laws in Ohio? Those liberals who cry about capital punishment with the excuse that it doesn't SOLVE anything. Here is what it solves! The loved ones of the victims won't have to be reminded of this nightmare over, and over again, if the monster is dead. If he is allowed to live? Like my father said, 'He always has a chance to escape'.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#36 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:24 PM EST

          Demetrious

          The loved ones of the victims have a right to a swift execution of justice

          1) Justice is "served", not "executed".

          2) Maybe, just maybe the "loved ones" of the victims have something other than vengeance on their minds.

          • 1 vote
          #36.1 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:28 PM EST

          Time to change a few laws in Ohio? Those liberals who cry about capital punishment

          They already did that is why it defaults to prosecution as an adult unlike most other states where the default is prosecution as a juvenile. And capital punishment is not an option for a minor because of rulings by the Supreme Court.

            #36.2 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:36 PM EST

            William .... served=executed .... samething in a court of law. I would imagine the loved ones don't seek revenge, neither do I. Still the problem arises by allowing this rabid kid to live. Incarceration is way to good a deal for him. Everybody thinks he will get life in prison, yet years from now he will be eligible for parole. Reasons? 'He was bullied', 'He was insane', 'He is a model prisoner' ... etc. And when all those situations crop up the loved ones will be reminded of this nightmare. THAT IS NOT JUSTICE! ... Read the book 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote, or watch the movie. I believe all high school students should do both. The boys were hung by a rope, which was the death penalty punishment back then in Kansas. Story done! No paroles, no escape, no appeals .... no interviews with the media. They were guilty, and knew they deserved to die.

              #36.3 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:00 PM EST
              Reply

              You would have to be crazy to think you could ever trust this back stabbing punk on the streets again.

              Too bad he didn't think twice about the tiny cage he's going to spend a great deal of time in. If I had my way, the rest of his life.

                Reply#37 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:35 PM EST

                I am hoping that this kid gets a pyschological and physical evaluation first. I can't even fathom what would drive a person to do such a thing. Does he have a brain tumor? Is he suffering from some form of chemical issue?

                If he has no mitigating circumstances, try him as an adult and let him face the consequences.

                  Reply#38 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:40 PM EST

                  This massively mentally ill fellow will never see the light of day. he will be tried as an adult and die in prison, this type doesn't do well in the big house.

                    Reply#39 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:41 PM EST

                    This kid now deserves to pay the consequences of his actions. He destroyed the lives of so many families including his own.

                    • 2 votes
                    Reply#40 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:49 PM EST

                    I'm waiting for someone to spin the incident on Mexicans, illegal immigration, or the President. I'm sure it's coming or it may have already been posted and I missed it.

                    • 1 vote
                    Reply#41 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:57 PM EST

                    I don't care why he did it. Look the justice system sucks. Police go out and risk there lives to catch these scumbags, then the overpriced lawyers drag out trials with B--ls--t tactics trying to get the scumbags off with technicalities. Then finally if we are lucky the bleeding heart judges sentences them to prison but we have to let out a bunch of scumbags to make room for the new scumbags. The cycle keeps going around and around and in the meantime good people have to suffer. We lose loved ones, suffer through pain and huge medical bills to recover from the damages these dirtbags did, and replace items (some with sentimental value that can't be replaced). Our society is in the sewer. Kids are popping out babies like rabbits. How often do we hear these days that MOM ( and I use that term losely) has 4 kids with 4 different fathers? What kind of parents do you think these kids will be? Many parents don't give a dam about raising good kids. They spend their time trying to figue out what they can do with the kids so they don't have to deal with them. So, it is time we take a long hard look at getting rid of the life sentances and hand out more death penalties. Why should we have to pay for these dirtbags? The manual that the cops have to follow to deal with street gangs and drug dealers reads like War & Peace. Things need the change quickly! As it says in the Bible MAN WIL DESTROY HIMSELF. Look around people it is accerating at an alarming pace. Global warming, a terrible justice system, government that doesn't give a dam about the people and can't agree on hardly anything, and on and on and on.

                      Reply#42 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:57 PM EST

                      If he is found guilty or not guilty doesn't restore the families who children are never coming back, doesn't calm the fear of those that still have to attend school there. The memory of high school should be of the best time in your life, not lossing your best friends.

                        Reply#43 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:59 PM EST

                        Sorry, Starr, those ponies are too powerful to be even grazed by your judicial system. The pharma execs have the money and the connections to see to it that they aren't harmed.

                        And I don't see any kind of mental problem. Just a lot of goth stuff and bad parenting.

                          #43.1 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:16 PM EST
                          Reply

                          Like every other modern scholl shooting their is most likey some Psychiatrist and killer drug from Big Pharma involved.

                          If so, the Psych shuld be put on trial with him and the execs of big Pharma.

                            Reply#44 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:05 PM EST

                            This kid cant be rehabilitated. He is ruined. He needs to Die like a Man. The same way he thought he was Man enough to kill 3 innocent kids.

                            • 3 votes
                            Reply#45 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:07 PM EST

                            If you read the boy's poem he posted online before the shooting you'd see that he shows classic signs of narcissism. Narcissism is a condition brought on by excessive abuse & neglect. People with this condition are treated like animals and as less than human, when in fact it's a disease just like any other. I hope the prosecution reads up on this illness before they try him as a murderer.

                              Reply#46 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:11 PM EST

                              Why would anyone bother to read what this rabid boy wrote? Sure, he has an 'illness' it is called rabies. 'Excessive abuse & neglect'? Maybe, you can coddle this monster, rock him in a cradle, and tell everybody how he is fine now .... just needed alittle loving care.

                              • 2 votes
                              #46.1 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:29 PM EST
                              Reply

                              I think that they should try him as an adult. He did an adult crime he should do the time. I would not object with him getting the death penalty if it is available in that state. He deserves anything that is coming to him. He destroyed three young lives, and three families have had to deal with losing a love one way be their time.

                              Very, very sad story.....

                              • 1 vote
                              Reply#47 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:14 PM EST

                              A new law is in place - not Guilty! All is forgiven. Murder whoever you want and be forgiven with no punishment - just like the third world. The law will not infringe on your right of pursuit of happiness even if its murder - the Casey Anthony Law!

                                Reply#48 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:16 PM EST

                                There is a double standard in this country and it is horrible. Folks, we have to stop this double standard, it should be all or none not this pick and choose you are a adult and you are not. Look at the story of the young 18 year old girl who moved in with her teacher, everyone is jumping on her because she is a child and he is an adult. Let her pull out a gun and shoot someone and all of that will change to lets fry her cause she is an adult. Ridiculous

                                We need to set the standard and stick by it for all crimes, not just this one or that one. So when you are below a certain age, you are a child for all purposes and that is that.

                                • 2 votes
                                Reply#49 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:18 PM EST

                                Come on parents it is your job to raise your kids, not their grandparents. Parents think they can ship off jr while they live their lives, older people can't have children for a reason, it takes a lot of work and time and patience and energy. Crappy parents with screwed up lives have kids like this one. If your kid is suddenly hanging around with the wrong crowd, wanting everything pierced and tattooed dresses all in black becomes anti social, it's not just a faze. These forgotten kids do what this kid did and takes out the good ones that are making something of themselves and have loving families, something they wish they had.

                                  Reply#50 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:21 PM EST

                                  He said he was sorry! Well that doesn't change a thing and he's only apologizing because he's worried about what will happen to his stupid ass now. But not to worry - he's the killer and the law is on his side! NEXT!

                                    Reply#51 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:29 PM EST

                                    Who said the kid had a black parent?

                                      Reply#52 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:44 PM EST

                                      Spice, Harry S. Truman DFL packed a gun with him at all times. He denied his right for the newly security that was supposed to protect elected politicians. He said, 'I have all the security I need right here'. Lyndon 'warmonger' Johnson DFL rode in a bullet proof limo, and watched as JFK was murdered in Dallas who rode in a convertible limo. By the way, Lyndon was the former senator from Texas. I guess he didn't trust his own people. These are just 2 examples why many donkeys love to have guns. All democrats I know own guns, and hate republicans.

                                        #52.1 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 7:02 PM EST

                                        Spice, you changed your original post. Are you having a good laugh?

                                          #52.2 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 7:09 PM EST
                                          Reply

                                          "if he's found guilty"??? Of course he's going to be found guilty!!! He shot students at a school and kids knew who he was!!! How could they say "if he's found guilty"??

                                            Reply#53 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 6:45 PM EST

                                            He still has a constitutional right to a trial.

                                            Jajajajajaj, if they declare him like a terorist, then no trails, no constitution, they will dispear him anyway they wanted so what legal rights?????? none but none little by little, they are taking the protection that our fathers fought for us, no more protection from the constitution als

                                              Reply#54 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 7:13 PM EST

                                              White people crimes...

                                              • 1 vote
                                              Reply#55 - Thu Mar 1, 2012 7:16 PM EST
                                              Jump to discussion page: 1 2 3 4
                                              You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
                                              As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.