The death toll would have been far higher if a policeman hadnt blocked Spencers line of fire by parking a rubbish lorry in the way. But the link with the San Diego shooting was soon spotted by Spencer herself. EMC EMC While at the California Institution for Women in Chino, she worked repairing electronic equipment. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ However, lawyer Michael McGlinn, who defended Spencer at her trial, told me he continues to believe she will never reoffend. An epidemic of gun crime has shocked America, particularly with school massacres at Columbine (in 1999, 13 dead) and Sandy Hook (in 2012, 26 dead). The fact that school shootings are more normalized in 2021 than anything is sad. )]TJ A plaque and flagpole were erected at Cleveland Elementary in memory of the shooting victims. (93)Tj At the time, mass shootings were rare in America, although there had been occasional gun attacks on school premises. )]TJ -2.118 -1.529 Td The court sentenced her to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 25 years. The Investigation Discovery network portrayed Brenda Spencer's crimes in one of the three cases presented in the premiere episode of season 2 on the crime documentary series Deadly Women, titled "Thrill Killers", first air date: October 9, 2008. The schools principal, Burton Wragg, while rushing outside, was hit on the shoulder and chest with Spencers bullets and eventually died. Yet, while it was all happening, so beautiful, so serene, I couldnt get over the perverse violence associated with my dads passing. 0 -1.176 TD /T1_3 1 Tf EMC Barynes and Principal Wragg bravely jumped into the line of fire to help get the kids inside the school for cover. 0 Tc 0.76 Tw /Span<>> BDC 40. The 1999 book Babyface Killers: Horrifying True Stories of America's Youngest Murderers, authored by Clifford L. Linedecker dedicates the book's prologue to Spencer and refers to her crimes in multiple chapters. /T1_3 1 Tf \223T)70 (.J. [(Langman, P)89.7 (. EMC -2.118 -1.529 Td Copyright 2016 by Peter Langman, Ph.D. 0.298 Tw /Span<>> BDC EMC [(\223H)23 (earing 2009,)80 (\224 p. /Span<>> BDC The shooting has inspired a song by the Boomtown Rats called I Dont Like Mondays, and has also gained other media coverage through a documentary.8 Her action went down in history as the first high profile school shooting and has become a vanguard to many future, unimaginable school situations and violent outbreaks. After several hours, Brenda Spencer surrendered her weapon and several rounds of ammunition, and was subsequently arrested. At various parole hearings since the first in 1993, she has blamed her father and also the influence of drugs for the shooting. /T1_3 1 Tf /T1_3 1 Tf 0 Tw T* 0.244 Tw /Span<>> BDC -2.118 -1.529 Td EMC He ended by saying on behalf of his deceased parents and the surviving members of the family that they opposed parole for Spencer. 1.647 0 Td [(H)23 (are, )]TJ 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td [( p. 207)70 (. /T1_3 1 Tf Classmates of the murderer after the shooting of schoolchildren recalled that Brenda Spencer dreamed of an act after which they would talk about her on television. 42. On the other hand, I also did not know that this event was listed as the first high profile school shooting. /T1_4 1 Tf Even so, her former English teacher, David Barrett, recalled that she seemed pretty harmless and even won first prize in a photography contest run by the Humane Society. Under the terms of her indeterminate sentence, Spencer became eligible for hearings to consider her suitability for parole in 1993. EMC The history of the shooting of schoolchildren was widely publicized and inspired by the Irish musician Bob Geldof to create the song "I do not like Mondays". A month later, on January 29, 1979, she achieved infamy when she began shooting at her school, Grover Cleveland Elementary in San Diego from her home, located across the street. /T1_4 1 Tf EMC Brenda threatened with new shots, so for such a long time she could not be forced to surrender to the police. /Span<>> BDC /T1_3 1 Tf EMC A former student named Cam Miller attended the hearing in person and offered the last statement. EMC )]TJ Today, she is 56 and still behind bars at the California Institution for Women. The two victims were Principal Burton Wragg and custodian Mike Suchar. What is brenda spencer doing now? Her claims were treated with scepticism, given that she had never mentioned them before. [You] put your gun down, the commissioner observed. One survivor of the 1979 shooting described herself as "shocked, saddened, horrified" by the eerie similarities to their own traumatic experience. Three shots rang out. ( )Tj /Span<>> BDC She injured eight children and a police officer, and killed the principal and a custodian. Victims of her crime have opposed Brendas likely parole, stating that their lives were forever affected by her actions. ( )Tj Survivors of the shooting who attended court recall a bespectacled Spencer staring at them blankly. You indicate you werent really trying to hit anybodybut you did a heck of a job of hitting a lot of people.. Grover Cleveland Elementary School, San Diego, CA It can show a rage against the owner of the doll. /T1_4 1 Tf )]TJ )]TJ /T1_3 1 Tf As of April2020, she remains in prison and is housed at the California Institution for Women in Chino. These are the other shootings reported on: the Columbine High School shooting, the shootings at Simon's Rock College, the Bethel Regional High School shooting, and the Pearl High School shooting. His crimes and conviction detailed, How did Charles Stanley Gifford die? ( )Tj EMC Brenda Spencer explained her act by shooting at children just for the sake of her pleasure, and also for laughs. 1 0 obj
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)]TJ We hear about it so much today, and it is incredibly sad that there are people who are willing to do this to innocent children. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ EMC Contrary to her initial claim, she later went on to state in her 2001 parole hearing that she had been "sexually abused by [her] father" and was "waiting for the cops to show up so they could shoot [her]." 4 This new information has fueled many more theories today about Brenda Spencer's true motives in . She was so young and ruined her life so quickly. [( pp. It would have been the drugs and the alcohol talking., The commissioner quoted the police negotiators report, which said she had told him, It was fun to watch the children that had red and blue ski jackets on, as they made perfect targets. The negotiator added that she told him she liked to watch them squirm around after they had been shot.. ( )Tj Are you pretty good with a rifle? he asked. Spencer, who was charged in court as an adult, pleaded guilty in 1980 to two counts of murder. /Span<>> BDC A good addition to the gift was the box, which contained more than 500 rounds. ( )Tj /T1_3 1 Tf I did not know about this case. Out of the 30 rounds she fired, she hit eleven people with eleven hits, meaning she hit them all once. Sometimes Wallace Spencer would say hello when he came to pick his daughter up, and Buell is certain that he knew who she was, and she wonders now what he thought. 0.002 Tc 0.176 Tw /Span<>> BDC Brenda Ann Spencer has a cenotaph in Fairlawn Cemetery Stillwater Oklahoma. ( )Tj /Span<>> BDC [(\223H)23 (earing 1994,)80 (\224 pp. /T1_4 1 Tf /T1_5 1 Tf According to the testimony of neighbors and family acquaintances, parents often spoke about weapons in her presence, moreover, my father even taught her how to shoot. He recalled the phone call from the neighbor who said there had been a shooting at Cleveland, the frustration of not being able to get near the school because the incident was still going on, the terror in my wifes eyes, her screams of anguish at not knowing whether our girls were involved, the phone call from the hospital telling us that one of them had been wounded, looking at the bullet hole in her right elbow and the bullet burns on the inside if each thigh where a bullet had passed between her legs.. Thirty years later, Miller beheld her in another proceeding and asked the board not to parole her. Ultimately, she surrendered. 0.766 0.053 Td [(Scho)-5 (ol Sho)-5 (oters: Und)-4.9 (erstanding H)23 (igh Scho)-5 (ol, College, )]TJ /Span<>> BDC 0.237 Tw /Span<>> BDC /Span<>> BDC /T1_4 1 Tf /T1_4 1 Tf Spencer later said, "I asked for a radio and he bought me a gun." Many are convinced the other killers were inspired by her. 0.355 Tw /Span<>> BDC /T1_5 1 Tf ( )Tj You hit one of those fellows, too, the commissioner noted. 0 Tc 0 Tw 0.471 0 Td On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ And apparently you two slept in the same bed?. (\251)Tj )]TJ No school or kids deserve to be shot up. She has said she also does not recall telling a cop, It was a lot of fun seeing children shot.. Brenda Spencer was born on April 3, 1962 in San Diego, California, USA. /Span<>> BDC Ugh, its Monday are the words that usually follow the arrival of the most dreaded day of the week. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ This livens up the day. Spencer surrendered after the negotiators promised her a Burger King Meal. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td I had never heard of this incident but what shocks me the most about this article was how young she was. /T1_3 1 Tf /T1_4 1 Tf They had a child, and the little girl attended Buell's preschool. [(and )0.5 (A)4.9 (dult P)10 (erpetrat)-10.1 (ors. Going to school should be a safe place and not a place to fear. ( )Tj EMC We found her singing as she gardened in the backyard, the son recalled. Wallace Spencer (father)Dot Spencer (mother)Teresa Spencer (sister)Scott Spencer (brother)Unnamed half-sister The principal of the elementary school, Burton Wragg, age 53, had gone to the aid of the students and was subsequently shot himself, the commissioner said. by Michael Thomas Barry. (82)Tj That had been just before Christmas. /T1_4 1 Tf ( )Tj [(www)80 (.scho)-5 (olsho)-5 (ot)-10 (ers.info. /T1_1 1 Tf Supporters, though, say she would not have shot anyone if her emotional problems had been addressed. Conviction Basically, what shes telling this board are a series of untruths, the representative concluded. EMC (\027)Tj
( )Tj Brenda Ann Spencer, now 56, has spent the last 40 years in prison at the California Institution for Women. After all of the shooting was over the Principal and Janitor were dead, eight students and one police officer was injured. ( pp. /T1_3 1 Tf )]TJ Which is not a good thing to live with., He added: Not liking Mondays as a reason for doing somebody in is a bit strange. -0.05 Tc 0.456 Tw /Span<>> BDC EMC Monday blues are common among teenagers, who are forced to wake up at 8 am to get on a yellow school bus. EMC He survived but remained terrorized. 0 Tw 18.39 -0.053 Td )]TJ She resembled Brenda. [(\223H)23 (earing 1994,)80 (\224 p. However, her method of expressing her resentment is definitely unjustifiable. The blood hadnt been scrubbed from where he had fallen on the concrete. /T1_4 1 Tf He showed me a neatly hand-written letter she sent him in 2015 in which she wrote that she appreciated what I did was horrible so I dont really complain about the amount of time Ive done. Grover Cleveland Elementary School, San Diego, CA. (66)Tj Children were going to school as the birds chirped. BT /T1_4 1 Tf /GS0 gs /T1_5 1 Tf )]TJ [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ /T1_4 1 Tf Principal Burton Wragg was speaking with teacher Daryl Barnes (who was gave testimony on the episode) when the gun shots started and ran outside to see school children falling to the floor, some first grabbing a body part and screaming in pain before falling. EMC We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 58tba4u0)^[=0Ue[]Z|_x-~uIwc|64gk{x6%-m>4K;m/e_9*W>^>iL]&S>SzL^eAyC8qk#;+LGOOO,drP n7a S)f She also killed custodian Mike Suchar (age 56) as he tried to pull a student to safety. 0 Tw (-)Tj ( )Tj Psychologist Jonathan Fast introduces the idea that her brain injury, abuse, and the effects of it pushed her to her final actions. 1.647 0 Td ( )Tj /T1_4 1 Tf (86)Tj )]TJ She is eligible for a Parole Suitability Hearing in September 2021. A spokesperson for the prison told theDaily Mail: The Golden Girls program at California Institution for Women is geared toward addressing the emotional and physical needs of the older population. -2.118 -1.529 Td I was greatly comforted when the policemen arrived to carry me away. (98)Tj When he first met her, she was like a total zombie pale, ashen and with no recollection of what had occurred, and she stayed that way for some time. (96)Tj Full name is Brenda Ann Spencer. ( )Tj [(Langman, P)90 (. EMC He believes that the shame, ridicule, inferiority, and powerlessness that she felt encouraged her to go as far as she did. Brenda Ann Spencer was born in San Diego, California, on April 3, 1962. He is one of many opposing her release on grounds that she remains a risk to the people of his city. /T1_4 1 Tf /T1_5 1 Tf "[2] Those comments were the inspiration to the song I Don't Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats, which reached #1 in the United Kingdom in mid 1979. Copyright 2018 en.unansea.com. Brenda Spencer, the culprit of this shooting, in case her second statement was true, she should not have opened fire to that school, she should have called the police directly. We will update Brenda Spencer's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. 78, 80. Spared the death penalty because of her age, Spencer was sentenced to two terms of 25 years to life in prison, running concurrently and with the chance of parole. Contrary to her initial claim, she later went on to state in her 2001 parole hearing that she had been "sexually abused by [her] father" and was "waiting for the cops to show up so they could shoot [her]." 4 This new information has fueled many more theories today about Brenda Spencer's true motives in .