Families recount trauma at sentencing for school shooter

DENVER – A justice connected Friday sentenced a erstwhile pupil to beingness successful situation without parole for a 2019 shooting wrong a suburban Denver precocious schoolhouse that killed 1 teen and injured 8 others, telling the suspect helium had shown nary remorse and had failed to assistance a devastated assemblage recognize his actions.

Devon Erickson, present 20, was convicted successful June of 46 charges, including first-degree execution successful the decease of Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old elder hailed arsenic a leader for trying to halt the onslaught connected a schoolroom astatine STEM School Highlands Ranch, southbound of Denver.

Prosecutors said Erickson partnered with chap pupil Alec McKinney successful the May 7, 2019, shooting. McKinney told investigators that helium planned the onslaught for weeks and intended to people classmates who repeatedly mocked him due to the fact that helium was transgender, according to tribunal documents. Since Erickson was 18 astatine the clip of the attack, helium faced a mandatory beingness sentence.

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After a lengthy and affectional proceeding successful which survivors shared their pain, trauma and disruptions to their lives, Judge Theresa Michelle Slade added hundreds of years of situation clip to Erickson's beingness condemnation for aggregate charges of attempted execution and different counts.

Wearing handcuffs, a red-and-white-striped situation suit and a bluish disguise amid the coronavirus pandemic, Erickson displayed virtually nary emotion but for blowing his chemoreceptor into his disguise aft sentencing. But conscionable aft his parents, sister and gramps told him they loved him successful their testimony, his dependable broke erstwhile the justice asked if helium wanted to speak. He declined.

“I don’t deliberation determination is thing I tin accidental to you, Mr. Erickson, that would marque immoderate difference," Slade said, recounting however the shooting had devastated not lone those astatine the schoolhouse and their families but untold numbers of radical beyond the suburban assemblage wherever the schoolhouse is located.

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The justice said Erickson ne'er tried to explicate his actions, leaving a gaping spread for a assemblage seeking astatine slightest immoderate consciousness of closure.

“I don’t believe, Mr. Erickson, astatine slightest for now, that it makes a quality to you,” Slade said. “So what you bash the remainder of your beingness successful prison, that's not connected me. It's connected you.”

McKinney, who was 16 astatine the clip of the shooting, was sentenced to beingness successful situation past twelvemonth but could go eligible for parole aft astir 20 years nether a programme for juvenile offenders.

Erickson and McKinney targeted a schoolroom of students sitting successful the acheronian arsenic they watched a movie astatine the extremity of their elder year. The 2 entered done abstracted doors to maximize the fig of students they could kill, prosecutors said.

Erickson and McKinney concocted a “victim-hero” program successful which McKinney would either termination himself oregon beryllium killed by Erickson, prosecutors said.

The shootings stopped erstwhile Castillo and 2 different students, Joshua Jones and Brendan Bialy, charged Erickson, whose weapon jammed aft helium fired 4 times. A schoolhouse information defender apprehended McKinney.

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Defense attorneys argued that Erickson was pressured into participating by McKinney, who testified against Erickson aft pleading blameworthy past year. The defence besides suggested that Castillo was accidentally changeable arsenic helium pushed Erickson against a wall.

Statements Friday by teachers, erstwhile students, their parents and Castillo’s parent and begetter wove a harrowing representation of lives shattered by enduring trauma, panic attacks, recurring nightmares of gunshots, blood, screams and heavy equipped SWAT teams rescuing those successful hiding wrong the school.

One teacher said she became truthful frightened of moving with older students and worrying astir what they mightiness bash that she present teaches younger children.

Jones and Bialy, who were changeable portion helping Castillo subdue Erickson, didn’t fell their disgust.

“He killed Kendrick, and helium didn’t care,” Jones said, astir heaving astatine the witnesser stand. “I would implore you to enactment him successful jailhouse for arsenic agelong arsenic you can.”

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“The suspect is simply a loser,” Bialy said. “He walked into a classroom, armed, with susceptible students, and helium lost.”

Castillo’s parents, John and Maria Castillo, proudly, if painfully, described their lad arsenic an lone kid who was blessed — a young antheral of religion ever acceptable to assistance others.

“We don’t privation to hide Kendrick, but it’s an affectional travel that astir radical volition ne'er understand, and I anticipation they don’t,” John Castillo said.

Defense lawyer David Kaplan insisted that Erickson was “exceptionally remorseful.” Witnesses and household described him arsenic an unselfish and cheerful idiosyncratic who helped others and loved school, a jazz vocalist who gave lessons to younger students — and idiosyncratic who fell nether the sway of McKinney.

Erickson’s father, Jim Erickson, work aloud the names of those injured and apologized to them, teachers, students, instrumentality enforcement and the broader community.

“We commune for these radical each day,” helium said, crying. “We anticipation that they tin find peace, and we anticipation that they tin find forgiveness — and I cognize that’s a hard ask, forgiveness.”

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At his sentencing past year, McKinney said helium did not privation leniency. But helium besides suggested the shooting was Erickson’s idea.

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