“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana judge on Monday found
a 16-year-old boy guilty of attempted murder in the March school
shooting of a former classmate after he told the court he intended
to kill the other boy when he fired the shots.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Morgan Superior Court Judge G. Thomas Gray issued his verdict after
a brief bench trial in which accused shooter Michael Phelps of
Martinsville and victim Chance Jackson were the only two to
testify.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Jackson was shot twice in the abdomen with a 9mm handgun, suffering
wounds to several organs. He spent a month in the hospital, but was
well enough to pay a visit to the school May 9.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Phelps testified that he intended to kill Jackson when he shot him
just before classes began at the school about 30 miles south of
Indianapolis. Jackson was 15 at the time.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
A judge ruled in April that Phelps should stand trial as an adult
on attempted murder, aggravated battery and other felony charges.
Phelps waived a jury trial, and prosecutors and defense attorneys
waived opening arguments at Monday’s brief hearing.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Defense attorney Steven Litz said Phelps can’t appeal the verdict
but that he can appeal the decision to try him as an adult and
whatever sentence is handed down.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Gray scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Investigators have said there was bad blood between Chance and
Phelps. Authorities said Phelps posted “today is the day” on his
Facebook page shortly before the shooting.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Prosecutor Steve Sonnega said that investigators initially thought
Phelps had targeted Jackson because of a dispute over a girl, but
that prosecutors now believe he was more interested in gaining
notoriety for a shooting at the school.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
“It really turned that it wasn’t about Chance, it was about the
sensationalism of a school shooting,” Sonnega said. “Chance was
just a target of opportunity.”
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Catherine Michael, an attorney representing Jackson’s family, said
the family was “very happy with what occurred here
today.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
“Chance is glad to be moving forward,” she said.
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
—
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”>
Information from: The Indianapolis Star, “text-decoration: none; color: #000066;” href=
“http://www.indystar.com/” target=
“-blank”>http://www.indystar.com
“font-family: Verdana, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; line-height: 13px; color: #000000; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal verdana, helvetica, arial;”>
“text-decoration: none; color: #000066;” rel=”item-license” name=
“c4be3b70-205a-4482-9a5f-71ea37e15f19” href=
“http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCHOOL_SHOOTING_INDIANA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-07-11-09-56-29#c4be3b70-205a-4482-9a5f-71ea37e15f19″> © 2011 The
Associated Press may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed. “http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/privacy”>Privacy
Policy
