Because a gunman opened fire on Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, killing 26 students and staff members, most of the nation does not know that just a few hours prior, an Oklahoma teenager was arrested for making a credible threat of school violence against students and faculty at Bartlesville High School. The news of an actual--and horrific--act of school violence overshadowed what was a mere threat.
Sammie Eaglebear Chavez, 19, was arrested in the early hours of December 14 after police and prosecutors say he attempted to recruit students to help him carry out a deadly act of school violence. According to prosecutors, Chavez planned to lure students into the auditorium, chain the doors, and begin shooting. They say he planned to place bombs by the doors and detonate them as police approached. Some of the teen's classmates say he tried to recruit them to help, saying they would be killed if they didn't assist him in carrying out the shooting and bombing plot.
Investigators found evidence to support a planned attack, including a rifle found in Chavez's home; the teen's research of school shootings, murder, and weapons; a "murder table" in which the word 'murder' was repeatedly inscribed along with dates that corresponded to specific murders; and Chavez's journals, where he writes repeatedly about murder, violence, and planned retribution.
Chavez claimed to have a history of depression and mental illness, but in April, he was found competent to stand trial.
Despite the evidence against him, the teen said that the threats were a "joke." He testified, “It was a joke in the sense that it wasn’t meant seriously." He said that the words and dates on the "murder table" were written by a friend, and that it was coincidence that the dates corresponded to murders, despite one date being noted "9-9-12 Murder Barbie" and "Peek-a-boo, I'll chop you," which specifically reference the murder of 78-year-old Barbara Olson, who was hacked to death by her 13-year-old great grandson and his friend.
Chavez called the evidence against him "an unfortunate coincidence."
Yesterday, a Washington County jury found Chavez guilty of devising a plan to commit bodily harm but not guilty of conspiracy to perform an act of violence. The jury recommended a sentence of 30 months in prison and a fine of $5,000.
The teen's mother, Jessie Chavez, said of the verdict, "This is a lot better than what I expected and I'm so happy." Jessie Chavez knew of the "murder table" in the family home and had received a text message from her son saying he was going to "shoot up the school." She described him as "depressed" to investigators, but told reporters that she didn't believe her son intended to act on the threats, saying, "That's not my son. My son laughs and makes jokes. He's always pulling pranks."
Making terrorist threats or threatening acts of violence is a serious criminal charge. Whether or not you intend to actually carry through with a threat, or whether you make a false claim of danger where none exists, you face felony conviction and significant prison time. Click here to find a defense attorney equipped to handle your case.
