T.J. Lane, Ohio high school shooter, wore "killer" T-shirt, made obscene gesture during sentencing
(CBS/AP) DENVER - Wearing a T-shirt with "killer" scrawled across it, 18-year-old T.J. Lane cursed and gestured obscenely as he was given three life sentences Tuesday for shooting three students to death in an Ohio high school cafeteria.
PICTURES: Ohio teen gunman gets life in prison
Lane was defiant during the sentencing, smiling and smirking throughout, including while four relatives of victims spoke. He pleaded guilty last month to the February 2012 shooting at Chardon High School, east of Cleveland.
After he came into the courtroom, Lane calmly unbuttoned his blue dress shirt to reveal the T-shirt reading "killer," which the prosecutor noted was similar to one he wore during the shooting.
At one point, Lane swiveled around in his chair toward the gallery where his own family members and those of the slain teenagers were sitting and spoke suddenly, surprising even his lawyer.
"The hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory," he said, then cursed at and raised his middle finger toward the victims' relatives.
A student who was wounded in the rampage dismissed Lane's outburst.
"He said it like a scared little boy and couldn't talk slow enough that anyone could understand him," said Nate Mueller, who was nicked in the ear in the shooting.
A statement released later to local media by the court on the judge's behalf said he wasn't aware of the shirt and that if he had noticed it he would have halted the proceedings and ordered Lane to wear proper attire.
Prosecutors said Lane took a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the school and fired 10 shots at a group of students in the cafeteria. Daniel Parmertor and Demetrius Hewlin, both 16, and 17-year-old Russell King Jr. were killed in the rampage.
Dina Parmertor, mother of victim Daniel, called Lane "a pathetic excuse for a human being" and wished upon him "an extremely, slow torturous death." She said she has nightmares and her family has been physically sick over the crimes.
"From now on, he will only be a killer," she said, as Lane's smile widened. "I want him to feel my anger toward him."
Sadie, Lane's sister who was in the cafeteria the day of the shooting, said outside the snow-swept courthouse that the brother she saw in court wasn't the one she remembers. She asked for prayers for her family.
"It may be hard for some to understand, but I love my brother and hope that whatever the sentencing in life takes him in the future, that he can touch others' lives in a positive way from the point of view that only he can give," she said.
Investigators said Lane admitted to the school shooting but he reportedly said he didn't know why he did it. Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz said he has a theory about the motive but wouldn't discuss it until he has a chance to meet with the families of victims and answer their questions.
Lane's courtroom behavior came as a surprise, he added.
"I am totally disgusted by that," Flaiz said. "What he did today is consistent with what we thought of him all along."
One of Lane's defense attorneys, Ian Friedman, also said he was caught off-guard by the comments. The defense signaled earlier that Lane wouldn't speak in court and didn't want anyone to speak for him.
Lane pleaded guilty last month to three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of felonious assault.
Life imprisonment without parole was the maximum sentence Lane faced. He wasn't eligible for the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the shootings. Relatives of the slain students indicated earlier they wanted Lane to get the maximum sentence.
In addition to three life sentences without chance of parole, Geauga County Common Pleas Judge David Fuhry also gave Lane sentences totaling 37 additional years for attempted murder and felonious assault and using a weapon in the crimes.
Complete coverage of T.J. Lane on Crimesider
