Ohio school shooter T.J. Lane will spend the rest of his life in prison in the deaths of three students last year, a judge ruled Tuesday, reported by CNN
Last month the 18-year-old pleaded guilty to all charges against him in the February 2012 shootings in northern Ohio where he fired at a group of students sitting at the Chardon High School cafeteria. Three students Demetrius Hewlin, 16, Rusell King Jr., 17 and Daniel Parmentor, 16 were killed. Two other students were also injured, oneparalyzed from the waist down, Reuters reported.
Lane entered the courtroom on Tuesday wearing a button-down shirt, but soon took it off early in the hearing to reveal his white T-shirt with the word "killer" inscribed on it, according to CNN affilate WJW. The attire was reportedly similar to what he was wearing when arrested by police shortly after the killings.
Lane made an obscene gesture by exhibiting the middle finger at the victims' families, and spoke to them using explicit language. He oft-times smiled and smirked during much of the hearing, WJW reported, even laughing when the prosecutor described him as an "evil person."
Lane declined to allow his attorneys to present evidence on his behalf at the sentencing hearing.He pleaded guilty last month to three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and weapons-related charges. After the shooting, an assistant football coach chased Lane out of Chardon High School, and police arrested him nearby a short time later, according to reports.
"I feel he should be locked up for the rest of his life," Domenick Iammarino, grandfather of Parmertor told The Plain Dealer before the guilty verdict was read. "It was a despicable, premeditated act. He should breathe his last breath in prison."
According to the police reports, Lane stayed with his grandparents and attended an alternative school for students who did not succeed in traditional schools. He went on the shooting rampage with .22-caliber Ruger handgun when he was waiting for bus.
*This story has been updated to note a change.*
