Note: This post contains strong language.
Convicted murderer T.J. Lane was sentenced to life in prison for the 2012 murder of three high school students in the Ohio town of Chardon.
According to an Associated Press report, the 17-year-old Lane, who attended an alternative school, walked into the Chardon High School cafeteria on the morning of February 27, 2012 and fired a .22 caliber pistol at a group of students. Three students died, and Lane, now 18, pleaded guilty to three counts aggravated murder last month. To date, he has provided no reasoning for his actions.
At his sentencing today, Lane showed his contempt for the court and his victims by wearing a white t-shirt with the word “KILLER” scrawled on it in marker. Lane smirked and gazed off while family members of his victims testified that he should receive the maximum penalty available.
During the sentencing Lane opted, against his lawyer’s advice, to address the courtroom. In a shocking display, Lane turned toward the families of his victims and spouted vulgarities, raising his middle finger to the courtroom.
“This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory,” said Lane. “Fuck all of you.”
Lane’s three life sentences do not allow for the possibility of him ever being paroled. The death penalty was unavailable to the prosecution, as Lane was only 17 at the time of the shooting.