T.J. Lane, Chardon High School Shooting Suspect, Ruled Competent By Judge

T.J. Lane, right, talks with his attorney Ian Friedman at Juvenile Court in Chardon, Ohio, on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. Lane is charged in the Feb. 27 Chardon High School rampage that left three students dead and two students seriously wounded. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

CHARDON, Ohio — A 17-year-old charged in a school shooting is mentally competent to stand trial in juvenile court in the deaths of three students, a judge ruled Wednesday after considering evidence that the boy suffers from hallucinations, psychosis and fantasies.

None of the symptoms detailed in a mental evaluation of T.J. Lane would prevent him from understanding the case against him and helping in his defense, Dr. Phillip Resnick told Judge Timothy Grendell in Geauga County Juvenile Court.

The judge accepted the findings and ruled that Lane is mentally fit to stand trial in juvenile court. The charges filed against him include three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of attempted aggravated murder.

The judge postponed until May 24 a hearing on whether Lane may be tried as an adult. Grendell said his ruling on mental competency may not be used in other legal proceedings, meaning the issue may be revisited in adult Common Pleas Court.

Prosecutor David Joyce said he expects the case to be moved to adult court, where Lane could face life in prison if convicted. Minors are not eligible for the death penalty in Ohio.

Under a new state law, a child can be found competent only if he or she is able to grasp the seriousness of the charges and is able to understand the proceedings.

Lane, dressed in an open-collar blue dress shirt and dark slacks, watched attentively as Resnick described his mental state as evaluated during a 6 1/2-hour interview April 2.

Lane, as his grandparents watched in court, made brief comments limited to acknowledging the judge's questions.

Resnick said Lane suffers from an unspecified psychosis, which Resnick described as sometimes being "out of touch with reality."

In addition, Lane over the years has experienced migraine headaches, a narrow range of emotions, withdrawing from people, has fantasies and hallucinates that he hears things. Resnick didn't detail the issues, and the judge reminded him that his evaluation must be limited to the issue of whether Lane understands the case against him and is fit to stand trial.

None of the various issues prevent Lane from cooperating in his defense, Resnick said. Questioned by Joyce, Resnick acknowledged that his report described Lane as clear, logical and coherent.

Resnick said he saw no evidence that Lane was faking mental illness.

Lane attended an alternative school for students who haven't done well in traditional schools; he had been at Chardon waiting for a bus.

Joyce said Lane has admitted taking a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the high school east of Cleveland and firing 10 shots at a group of students sitting at a cafeteria table. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, though Joyce apparently has ruled out theories involving bullying or drug dealing.

From our partners

• Porn Star Bibi Jones Gives Sex Advice To Spice Things Up In the Bedroom - BroBible.com
• Dumb British Traditions - Dumb As A Blog
• Bad Roommates: The 7 Worst Types - Guyism.com

Comments

[Teresiya Sigmund]

07:38 PM on 05/06/2012

...while his grandparents watched in court...where is the mother? Os this one of this cases were the state cut out the mother, he went through foster care and ended up with his grandparents after it messed him up? The children committing these crimes usually went through the 'system' where they were off worse than at home, and turn into sociopaths. I am so sick of that pattern, families torn apart by the government to 'protect the child' which ends up worse than ever. And then they blame the child to put him in the next system. If you tear the child's life apart when he is little do not be surprised when he tears apart yours when he gets his turn. They are farming criminals by putting them in the system where kids lose any ability to feel empathy or anything at all. So easy to blame him for killing when he got killed when he was a child. Children do not come out one day wanting to kill humans, society forms a child. And the argument that all kids do not do it, people react differently to trauma.

[Doctrsally]

09:21 AM on 05/11/2012

Notice how they focus on all of his mental symptoms and don't reliquish any information on all the psychotropics he's on that are causing his psychosis. Actually his mother and brother whom he lived with at one point were known substance abusers so he and they have been "in the system" most of his life. Raised by a mom on crazy meds, living with a brother on them and finally the mack daddy... being sent to an alternative school to supply him with a supersized cocktail of more meds. Can't imagine why this didn't "help." But then again, maybe it's "Mass Hysteria" and we are all imagining this, or at least just those who have been vaccinated with Guardasil recently.

[Teresiya Sigmund]

08:49 PM on 05/11/2012

excellent reply, great insight! Blessings, t

[California Beach Bum]

11:56 AM on 05/06/2012

Mentally competent-YES! If he was able to load, aim, fire, and kill students in school than he's mentally competent to stand trail for murder!

No more excuses for criminals when they commit crimes in society. This young fragile frighten boy is going into fit in prison when convicted. He will have a gang of new friends waiting for him.

[awaugh1775]

01:22 PM on 05/04/2012

Maybe he is incompetent. Who would use a .22 if they really wanted to kill someone?

[AudreyLee]

05:41 PM on 05/16/2012

Not funny.

[raine221]

10:46 AM on 05/03/2012

It sounds like they are paving the way for a "The voices told me to do it" defense.

[deerinmw]

07:26 AM on 05/03/2012

Mentally ill but competent. I wonder how many signs his family and teachers missed that kept this boy from getting help. So sad for everyone involved. The murdered & wounded teens were apparently just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. No one could have anticipated this that morning. My prayers to the victims and their families.

[scrapper7]

07:56 PM on 05/02/2012

And, yet again, we hear of the 'unfortunate childhood' a cold-blooded murderer had to endure. It's becoming the 'fashionable defense'.

There are millions of people in this world who grew up in atrociously abusive homes, yet DIDN'T turn into mass murderers! The attorneys for these monsters, all strive for a free pass for their clients.

It will be a terrible miscarriage of justice if T.J. Lane is tried as a juvenile. Old enough to do the crime... old enough to do the time!

[karledean]

06:36 AM on 05/03/2012

Go to show America can be a sad place to be...

[scrapper7]

09:41 AM on 05/03/2012

I'm so sorry karledean ~ I can't understand your comment. Could you please explain it? Thank you.

[Eric111]

09:40 AM on 05/21/2012

Karledean, There is nothing sad about holding someone accountable for their actions. What would be sad is giving criminals a free pass due to a hard childhood. People have a mind and a free will. We each choose how to respond to situations in our lives. If someone chooses badly there will be bad consequences as a result.

[raine221]

10:44 AM on 05/03/2012

Which is why the change the laws so that people are Guilty but insane and not Innocent by reason of insanity. Which will probably his plea when they send him off to adult court.

[ebanks84]

05:59 PM on 05/02/2012

It would be interesting to know what this kid thinks about. I can't imagine.

[valeskas]

03:37 PM on 05/02/2012

He still has his life, while 3 other teenagers are dead. He probably will get life without parole.

[Christina Coad]

06:30 PM on 05/02/2012

Unlikely as he is being charged in juvenile court. I'm actually shocked by that.

[deerinmw]

07:23 AM on 05/03/2012

Going through juvenile court is required in Ohio and must be done prior to possibly transferring the case to adult court. That will be the next step. Its unlikely this case will remain in the juvenile courts.

[valeskas]

07:57 AM on 05/03/2012

He will go back to court this month, then he will be sent to adult court, the date is set already for the end of May.

[Toni Zimcosky Bildstein]

10:26 AM on 05/03/2012

3 dead.. and one paralyzed.