Boy Behind Columbine-Style Plot Sentenced

Pa. Teen Who Stockpiled Guns For School Attack Gets 7 Years In Juvenile Facility

(AP)  A 14-year-old boy who admitted that he planned a Columbine-style attack on a high school outside Philadelphia was sentenced Wednesday to up to seven years in a juvenile treatment facility.

Dillon Cossey will remain in the facility until he turns 21, unless the courts decide he has been sufficiently rehabilitated before then, Montgomery County Judge Paul Tressler ruled.

Dillon had admitted in juvenile court that he committed three felonies - criminal solicitation, risking a catastrophe and possession of an instrument of crime.

Dillon, who was arrested in October, felt bullied and tried to recruit another boy for a possible attack at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, authorities said.

He told a friend that he wanted to pull off an attack similar to the 1999 assault on Columbine High School in Colorado, saying "the world would be better off without bullies," according to prosecutors.

In court, the judge said Dillon's mother, Michele Cossey, had created a "me and mom against the world" attitude in her son.

"This kid has been so totally desocialized, he has no friends," Tressler said.

"You want this kid dependent on you? Go buy a dog, go buy a pet," he told Michele Cossey.

Authorities do not believe the teen was close to pulling off an attack. He had no ammunition.

Authorities said they searched Dillon's home in Plymouth Township and found a 9 mm rifle, about 30 air-powered guns modeled to look like higher-powered weapons, swords, knives, a bomb-making book, videos of the 1999 attack on Columbine High School in Colorado and violence-filled notebooks.

Authorities have accused his mother, Michele, of helping him build his weapons stash. She is awaiting trial on charges of illegally buying him a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle and the 9 mm semiautomatic rifle.

The teen's attorney, J. David Farrell, said people he spoke with don't think Dillon would have followed through with the plot. Farrell has described the attack plan as a "fantasy that was beginning to cross the line."

[michellem99-2009]

That boy needed his bottom spanked. Yes ye read right. At a young age. Yer all the blame for allowing the govt to take the proper raising of a child out of yer paws. It means yer have the children yer better raise them right. In my day if I got out of line I knew it. It was dealt with. Children run their parants today. They do as they plaese. I have seen it. I am 53. Cop out. YER THE COP OUT. I never had kids. Yer got any ideas of what games they play. Yer buy them. Get off that can know what they watch,read,do. My foster mothers knew my every move. What I had in my school book bag. What letters I got in the mail. What I wore. That was their job. Yer have to open that blind mind and realise they Need to know,learn ,understand Mum/Dad makes the house rules and they will be obeyed.I am 53.

[libsluvsuvs]

Posted by MichelleM99 at 10:22 PM : Dec 20, 2007
+ report abuse


*************

that was a pretty benevolent ''cop-out'' that is studded with ''if he was my..'', well the reality of this is HE DID KILL SOMEBODY..and the reality of this is..YOU AND MANY WOULD WANT TO RUB HIS LARD ARSE WITH COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING...........BUT ON THE SAME TOKEN......DECRY THAT THE GUN WAS EVIL..

are you getting my point?..because your point is nothing more than promoting a vicious cycle by leading it down the wrong road..

[michellem99-2009]

It not okay to kill others, notice NOT. If that boy was mine ye bet he not dare pull that shiit. No way. He go to the Dr to find out why he has a wt. problem. He would resecp his teachers. Learn manners. His asre would have been grounded. He would not walk all over others. He is not mine but 2 dumb parents.

[libsluvsuvs]

Posted by MichelleM99 at 07:43 PM : Dec 20, 2007
+ report abuse


******

what she is trying to say is..its okay if your a lard arse to gun down people..**see what I mean**

[libsluvsuvs]

I am waiting for that flood of posts of "lets be more understanding" from the ''hard on crime" liberals. they are hoping that the ''gun'' would understand the law

[michellem99-2009]

I was bulled what I could not control ..legal blindess and being a foster home girl when I was pupil. I did notice his wt. I know fat children are picked on. I am the right wt for my ht and age. He may have health issues caused him to over wt. We don''t know. Yes some parents do over feed their children. IT IS RUDE TO MAKE FUN OF OTHERS. What that teen did is wrong and where was the parents. They should share the blame for his crime.

[klingon69]

If lard boy thinks he got bullied in school, wait until he gets a taste of 7 years in juvey.
Posted by Extremophil at 08:10 AM : Dec 20, 2007
He won''t have that weight when he gets out.
But, for now, the juv will just love those brestesessss

[klingon69]

There are filters to block out porn. I WOULD RATHER CHILDREN GET A PROPER EDUCATION. THAT MEANS NO GUNS. I live in Seattle.
Posted by MichelleM99 at 12:09 AM : Dec 20, 2007
Filters do not block newsgroups, and there are many sites that even the best filters will not block. The filters do not peruse the sites to see if porn is on them, it merely looks at the registration. If it says "adult" then that site is blocked. Filters do not block webcams either.

[klingon69]

ANd anyone thinks they can rehabilite the mind of THAT kind of teen? violence filled notebooks, bomb making books???
Mark my word, when he gets out, be it soon or 7 years, we WILL read another story about him on the 6 o''''clock news
Posted by newster1 at 08:14 PM : Dec 19, 2007
You can learn to make bombs, poison gas, explosives...etc from your public library.
That child has problems, but unless he bludgeons someone with the gun, he can''t hurt someone with no ammo.

[giord1la]

The only excuse is the lack of parenting on the mothers part. She obviously had more important things to do than to teach her son right from wrong. Maybe if the mother would have made the kid go outside, get some exercises instead of giving him Twinkies and ice cream, and a video game, he would not have a weight problem, and would not have been bullied. Sounds like she was lazy, There is no reason for a 14 year old child to be obese.

[cburn665]

I agree with the earlier writer that teachers and parents bear some responsibility to discourage bullying, i.e. talking about bullying with their school age children.

It is true that bullying among school children has always been in existence. However, with all the school shootings, it is time to give bullying a new level of thinking to prevent it.

Although it will never be eliminated, I''m sure there are some young actors that would lend their faces in PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT TELEVISION ADS. Or, ads done some what like the truth ads that use to run on t.v.

People, it''s time we get serious because the genie has been released and this disturbing trend will continue and be copied all over this country.

Parents, know what your children are doing, make it your business!

[extremophil]

If lard boy thinks he got bullied in school, wait until he gets a taste of 7 years in juvey.

[mypatch]

When are these parents going to teach their children what to do when they are bullied. It''s abuse. Report is as abuse to your parents, teachers, authorities etc.. This has been going on for centuries. I was bullied as a child and was so scared of this person I finally told my father and he confronted the parents of the child and I was no longer bullied. We need to teach the children to care about each other and stop hurting each other. As for the mother. She needs mental help. She just got her son sentenced to juvie.

[Krazcarl]

SweetTender...Excellent point your not going to pull off a mass murder with NO ammo and air rifles he was trying to get some attention just got the wrong kind now he''ll be ruined.

[tonic1661]

republic 1776 is right. Everything is not George Bush''s fault. But taken as a whole, the last eight years have been quite a turn around from the balanced budget, peace and prosperity of the previous eight years.

I will vote either party depending on the candidates. But this time, I will not vote republican.

[republic1776]

Who are the liberal left wacos going to blame after Bush leaves office?
Everything is Bushs'' fault!
Dang balless liberals doing hit and run on blogs.

[michellem99-2009]

Read the book 1984. Yer can thank Bush SweetTender. I am older and this nation has changed. His mother uses a walker. She failed her son. The father what about him. Most people taught right from wrong would not do this. The problem is that 15 min. fame. The worship of violance in this nation is awful.

[tgdowd]

If it was proven beyond a resonable he was really going to go and shoot up some school, then it''s fair, I guess, if he is sentenced. However, it gets a bit scary when you can be sentenced to prison because the authorities think you may commit an atrocious crime sometime in the future. It''s like there are thought police who constantly watch what your reading and looking at to see if you may impose a threat someday.

[michellem99-2009]

No I would not want to. I live in the city. Yer the kind of person that oaught have guns. Shooting the place is not the answer. There are filters to block out porn. I WOULD RATHER CHILDREN GET A PROPER EDUCATION. THAT MEANS NO GUNS. I live in Seattle.

[blancadebree]

Look, if you lived in Norristown, you, too would go a little nuts and want to shoot up the place. Anyway, what''s wrong with an unstable teen owning a couple of guns? Look I would much rather that a teenage boy had a bunch of guns instead of Internets pornography. Won''t somebody think of the children?

http://blancadebree.blogspot.com