The shooting itself may not have garnered much national attention, but the trial certainly will. T.J. Lane was given three life sentences Tuesday for shooting down three of his classmates at Chardon high School in Ohio in February of last year. What was most shocking about this trial was his utter lack of empathy or remorse for what he did.
Lane, 18, entered the courtroom with a blue button down shirt on that he removed right before sitting down to hear his sentencing. The word 'KILLER' was scrawled on a white shirt underneath, which the prosecutor observed was similar to the one he wore during the shooting.
Family members for each of the three victims took their turns standing up in front of Lane, giving heartfelt accounts of their beloved children that were snatched away from them in an instant. The convicted murder was not affected in the least.
Many of the relatives of the victims expressed deep-seated contempt for the boy and his actions, one mother calling him "a pathetic excuse for a human being" and telling him that he was "lucky" that there were so many police officers surrounding them, in what could only be construed as a threat. Another parent of one of the victims simply recounted how his son was nice enough to tie his father's shoes when his back hurt.
Throughout the sentencing he had a calm, indifferent, and impenetrable demeanor on his face. Most of the time a slight smirk could be seen as he seemed to relish in the demise of both his three classmates, and himself. At one point during the proceedings he even made it a point to verbally confront his victim's families:
"The hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory," Lane mocked, then cursed at and raised his middle finger toward the victims' relatives.
Though quite the show of bravado and indifference, there is perhaps reason to believe that he was not so sure of himself as he'd like other people to believe. Nate Mueller, who was nicked in the ear during the shooting, certainly didn't buy it:
"He said it like a scared little boy and couldn't talk slow enough that anyone could understand him."
For the killings, Lane received three life sentences without the chance for parole. It is likely that he would have received the death penalty, but because he was 17 at the time, that option was not available.
