Washington Teen Turned In by Grandma Pleads Guilty for Plotting School Shooting
A Washington teen who was turned in by his own grandmother in February for allegedly plotting a school shooting pleaded guilty on Thursday.
Joshua O’Connor, 18, was in front of a judge to change his plea from not guilty to guilty, KOMO News reported Friday.
O’Connor has been in jail for 10 months after allegedly planning to kill people at Aces Alternative High School.
His bail was set at $5 million.
“I’m finding journal entries from my grandson,” O’Connor’s grandma said to police in a phone call in February, KOMO reported.
“He’s planning to have a mass shooting at one of the high schools.”
The grandmother was identified as Catherine Katsel-O’Connor, according to NBC News.
“I need to make this shooting/bombing at Kamiak [High School] infamous,” Joshua’s journal entry said, NBC reported. “I need to get the biggest fatality number I possibly can. I need to make this count.”
Joshua later decided to go after Aces Alternative after flipping a coin, according to NBC.
Police searched Joshua’s home after his grandma called.
They found the journal, an AK-47 and grenades, according to KOMO.
Joshua’s charges include first-degree attempted murder, first-degree robbery with a firearm and possession of explosive devices, KOMO reported.
Joshua was arrested on Feb. 13, a day prior to the Parkland shooting in Broward County, Florida that left 17 dead.
A judge will decide Joshua’s punishment in February 2019. The 18-year-old could face up to 28 years in prison.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
