The Mooresville teen convicted last month for planning a school shooting will spend more than a decade behind bars.
Trinity Shockley, 19, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Nov. 24 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.
Mooresville high school shooting planned and stopped
She was arrested in February after one of her friends tipped off the FBI, concerned that Shockley had plans for a mass shooting at Mooresville High School and access to an AR-15 rifle.
Investigators say Shockley sent messages on Snapchat and Discord about the planned attack under the alias “Jamie,” who said he was an 18-year-old transgender man. Shockley clarified in court that while she used that identity online, she is not transgender, WFYI reported on Nov. 24.
Police descended on the Shockley family’s home on Feb. 12, days before the attack was to take place. The shooting was planned to coincide with the anniversary of the Feb. 14, 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting that left 17 people dead.
Shockley was reportedly obsessed with the perpetrator of that shooting and told police she was trying to prove herself as his “number one fan.” In a police interrogation, however, Shockley said that “when she saw all of the police officers, it hit her that she did not want this.”
Shockley tried to access mental health resources soon after beginning high school, but her father prohibited her from getting help, a school official told police after her arrest. She signed up for mental health assistance on her own two weeks after turning 18.
She told police she dealt with bullies at school after a suspected drunk driver struck her in 2022, leaving the teen with a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury.
Prison sentence
Shockley will serve five years’ probation after she is released from prison. During that time, she will be banned from researching “any material related to school shootings,” according to documents filed as part of her plea agreement.
“This case is a powerful reminder that when the public speaks up, lives can be saved,” the FBI’s Indianapolis office wrote on social media. “We are grateful for the partnership of the Mooresville Police Department and for the individual who reported their concerns.”
Shockley’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Mooresville Indiana teen sentenced for planning school shooting
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / The Reporter Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
