Ind. teen, Michael Phelps, admits he tried to kill classmate in school shooting

(CBS/AP) MARTINSVILLE, Ind. - Michael Phelps, the 16-year-old central Indiana boy who insisted for weeks that he didn't intend to kill a former classmate, admitted in court Monday that he had hoped the shots he fired would be fatal.

The admission brought a sudden end to his trial for the attempted murder of 15-year-old Chance Jackson in the March 25 shooting at Martinsville West Middle School.

Phelps softly answered "Yes, sir," when defense attorney Steven Litz asked him if he had intended to kill Jackson. A few moments later, prosecutors dropped all charges but attempted murder, the one count on which Morgan Superior Court Judge G. Thomas Gray found Phelps guilty.

"This was essentially a de facto guilty plea," Litz told reporters later.

The lawyer said that by not formally pleading guilty, Phelps reserves the right to appeal the decision to try him as an adult, as well as whatever sentence he receives at a hearing set for Aug. 12.

Prosecutor Steve Sonnega called Jackson as his only witness.

The soft-spoken teen, who wore a white dress shirt, said Phelps confronted him just inside a school entrance and asked him why he'd been avoiding him and if he wanted to fight, then pulled out a gun and shot him twice in the abdomen.

The prosecution then rested, and Litz called his only witness, Phelps, who made his on-stand admission.

Litz had steadfastly maintained that Phelps hadn't meant to kill Jackson. He wouldn't say what had happened to change the situation. Sonnega said prosecutors had built a strong case through witness interviews and that it had become apparent that the school shooting was a call for attention more than a violent grudge as investigators first thought.

"It really turned that it wasn't about Chance, it was about the sensationalism of a school shooting," Sonnega said. "Chance was just a target of opportunity."

Authorities said Phelps posted "today is the day" on his Facebook page shortly before the shooting, and Sonnega said that fits with the new theory. Investigators had previously said there

was bad blood between Chance and Phelps.

Jackson was shot twice in the abdomen with a 9mm handgun, suffering wounds to several organs. He spent a month in the hospital, but was well enough to pay a visit to the school May 9.

Phelps could face 20 to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced next month. Sonnega said he would review sentencing laws before deciding how long a sentence to seek, noting Phelps' age. Litz said he would argue for a light sentence.