EMC Blue was Spencer's favorite color so he would be her first victim. The author also focused, not just on the shooting itself, but also the aftermath that centered on Brenda Spencer. )]TJ /T1_4 1 Tf EMC After a 20-minute shooting spree, eight children and three adults had been hit, among them a police officer who was shot through the neck. The composition was released a month after the tragedy and immediately became popular. Only in San Diego, the city where the tragedy happened to spare the feelings of local residents, the song was banned for several years. She answered a reporters question on why she fired the gun, by saying I dont like Mondays. )]TJ [(\223H)23 (earing 2005,)80 (\224 p. /T1_4 1 Tf /T1_4 1 Tf /Span<>> BDC A former student named Cam Miller attended the hearing in person and offered the last statement. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ /GS1 gs -0.05 Tc 0.456 Tw /Span<>> BDC Charged as an adult, she pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and was given an indefinite sentence. [(H)23 (are, )]TJ /T1_1 1 Tf He said his wife had heard on the radio of a shooting at the school and called him at work. /T1_3 1 Tf Brenda Spencer is currently serving his sentence and looks forward to a pardon. I know saying Im sorry doesnt make it all right,Spencer told the parole board in 2001. (62)Tj EMC Appearance [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ True )Tj /T1_3 1 Tf Tom Leonard for the Daily Mail, Sleeping girls, 10 and 13, are shot as home is sprayed with 17 bullets during second drive-by in the neighborhood in just 24 hours, One person killed and two police have been shot by a gunman suspected of holding a teen hostage near Atlanta, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' ( )Tj [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td 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 . (71)Tj ( )Tj Peter Langman /T1_4 1 Tf 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td /CS0 cs 0 0 0 0.5 scn ( )Tj A police officer (age28), responding to a call for assistance during the incident, was wounded in the neck as he arrived. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td On April 4, 1980, a day after her 18th birthday, she was sentenced to 25 years to life. (-)Tj EMC Spencer has since said she does not remember making the remark that inspired a song by the Boomtown Rats and became a kind of anthem for many of the school shooters who followed. Im a little more grateful for my normal Mondays now! ( )Tj He blames total negligence and unbelievably bad parenting by her father in giving her the gun. /Span<>> BDC Trivia (3) On January 29, 1979, sixteen year old Brenda Spencer pointed her .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle that she had received as a Christmas present from her father out her bedroom window to San Diego's Grover Cleveland Elementary School across the street. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. ( )Tj /T1_3 1 Tf ( )Tj /T1_3 1 Tf I had never heard of this case prior to reading this article. (\027)Tj ( p. /T1_4 1 Tf What if they got the idea from what I did?. ( )Tj A)40 (vailable at www)80 (.scho)-4.9 (olsho)-5 (ot)-10 (ers.info. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td Out of the 30 rounds she fired, she hit eleven people with eleven hits, meaning she hit them all once. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td ( )Tj 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td (157 cm) and had bright red hair. (74)Tj Brenda Spencer Yet she wonders whether Spencer could ever adapt to the outside world and if she will snap again. (89)Tj /T1_5 1 Tf ( p. -0.196 Tw /Span<>> BDC -2.118 -1.529 Td /T1_5 1 Tf )]TJ /T1_3 1 Tf /T1_3 1 Tf 42. /T1_5 1 Tf At 16 and using a .22 rifle her father had given her as a Christmas present she started shooting, wounding 8 and killing 2. /T1_3 1 Tf -2.118 -1.529 Td In April 1980, Spencer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Great article but terrible circumstances. The representative further reported that blood and urine samples taken after Spencers arrest tested clean. EMC )]TJ /T1_4 1 Tf )]TJ /T1_4 1 Tf 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. ( )Tj 0.038 Tw 2.118 0 Td ( p. ( )Tj (85)Tj He recalled that his mother had just dropped him at school directly opposite Spencers home and he had been starting up the sidewalk when he saw the bodies of the principal and the custodian. -2.118 -1.529 Td )Tj [(H)23 (are, R. )]TJ )Tj EMC -2.118 -1.529 Td Why pick the school across the street? the commissioner asked. )]TJ Although it did not make the Top 40 in the U.S., it still received extensive radio airplay (outside of the San Diego area) despite the Spencer family's efforts to prevent it. After the first bell rang, Brenda broke the panels on the front door of her home, which was located right across the street from the elementary school. ( p. EMC A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Ann Spencer (born April 3, 1962), who lived in a house across the street from the school, was convicted of the shootings. Geldof has later mentioned that, "[Spencer] wrote to me saying 'she was glad she'd done it because I'd made her famous,' which is not a good thing to live with. ( )Tj [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ She was later diagnosed with depression and epilepsy and received medication to treat her mental issues. Psychologist Jonathan Fast introduces the idea that her brain injury, abuse, and the effects of it pushed her to her final actions. 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. The court sentenced her to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 25 years. /T1_5 1 Tf Thrill Killers. [(dic)-20 (tions,)80 (\224 201)40 (5. 8\2269. But I wasnt able to run from the bullet Brenda had for me, Hardy said. /T1_4 1 Tf Theme powered by WordPress. Motive The uninjured looked around confused as to what was happening. They had a child, and the little girl attended Buell's preschool. Brenda aimed the rifle at the schoolyard from her bedroom. Michael Suchar, the schools custodian, ran outside with a blanket in order to cover Wragg and keep him from going into shock, but he quickly became the second victim of Spencers shooting and lost his life. -2.118 -1.529 Td [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ /GS0 gs . EMC EMC Brenda Spencer has spent over four decades in prison and currently belongs to the Golden Girls Club at her prison. She often spent her time copying out the lyrics of violent punk songs. (73)Tj Instead of preparing for high school, Brenda Spencer retrieved a Ruger 10/22 rifle from her bed, a Christmas present from her father. -0.001 Tc -0.05 Tw 2.124 0 Td EMC Across the road from Grover Cleveland Elementary school in San Diego, California, 16 year old Brenda Ann Spencer observed elementary children prepare for class from her bedroom window. (100)Tj /Span<>> BDC ( )Tj She was so young and ruined her life so quickly. I was greatly comforted when the policemen arrived to carry me away. EMC [(Langman, P)90 (. Spencer was sentenced to only 25 years to life, despite the cruelty of her crime. /Span<>> BDC /T1_4 1 Tf Nine counts of attempted murder. Status -2.118 -1.529 Td /T1_5 1 Tf When asked why she said "I hate Mondays" prompting the Boomtown Rats hit song. 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. "[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. The issue is in plain sight but nobody in the right places of power wants to say it because its easier to point fingers. [(W)5 (ithout Conscience,)]TJ /T1_4 1 Tf /T1_5 1 Tf [(\223H)23 (earing 2009,)80 (\224 pp. The brother said that although his widowed sister-in-law lived until 1991, her life actually ended in January 1979. [(\223H)23 (earing 2001,)80 (\224 p. Brenda Spencer was sixteen years old when she shot and killed two people at a school in California. -2.118 -1.529 Td -2.118 -1.529 Td In late January 1979, Brenda Spencer killed two adults and injured eight children and one adult because of her hate for Mondays. In 1993, she tried to prove that she committed the act, being under the drug and alcohol intoxication. Behind the scenes Then the inmate proceeded to commit one of the most notorious crimes in the history of this nation., He went on: At 8:30 a.m., the children were lining up to enter Cleveland Elementary School She picked up her .22 caliber, semiautomatic scoped rifle and began shooting children. /T1_4 1 Tf Two were killed, including the head teacher, Burton Wragg, who ran outside and was hit as he tried to help injured children, and the school caretaker, who had tried to rescue the head. I was shooting into the parking lot.. /T1_3 1 Tf /T1_4 1 Tf 0.002 Tc 0.176 Tw /Span<>> BDC -2.118 -1.529 Td 25 to life in prison ( )Tj She is eligible for a Parole Suitability Hearing in September 2021. ( )Tj /T1_4 1 Tf 0 0 0 1 scn The D.A. /T1_3 1 Tf EMC ( )Tj ( )Tj EMC ( )Tj Four times the murderer asked for parole, and four times she was refused. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td Successive parole hearings have heard powerful testimony from those who say their lives were permanently scarred by Spencer. Brenda Spencer: Sorting Out the Contradictions My condolences to the principal and the custodian of the Cleveland Elementary School. (93)Tj He recently pointed out that she cried frequently at her last parole eligibility hearing, in 2016, demonstrating what he called her continued emotional instability. ( )Tj She showed little interest in her studies and hated authority. Whether Spencer was a cold-hearted killer or a truly lost and confused soul that simply wanted an escape, it is undeniable that her horrible actions have had some frightening consequences in our modern world. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ )]TJ Brenda Spencer explained her act by shooting at children just for the sake of her pleasure, and also for laughs. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td 58. Principal Burton Wragg heard the shooting and ran out to get the children out of harms way, and the inmate shot him in the chest and killed him. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td ( )Tj Name Spencer, who was charged in court as an adult, pleaded guilty in 1980 to two counts of murder. /T1_3 1 Tf /T1_4 1 Tf Even as an adult, he was gripped by an abiding fear of leaving his back exposed in restaurants he always sits with his back to the wall. As a boy he had nightmares in which Spencer popped up out of a bathtub to finish him off. ( )Tj ( )Tj /T1_5 1 Tf /T1_3 1 Tf One survivor of the 1979 shooting described herself as "shocked, saddened, horrified" by the eerie similarities to their own traumatic experience. 0.003 Tc 0.082 Tw 1.662 0 Td I hope that somehow my dad and Mike know this.. Ive seen first hand how these tragedies affect a community. /Span<>> BDC 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. [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ After firing thirty-six times, Spencer locked herself in her house for a few hours. /Span<>> BDC -2.118 -1.529 Td /T1_3 1 Tf 0.38 Tw /Span<>> BDC The self-harm is commonly reported as scratching the words "courage" and "pride" into her own skin; however, Spencer corrected this during her parole hearing as "runes" reading "Unforgiven" and "alone." 1)40.1 (3, 14. (paths Among Us. EMC She confirmed that she had heard the kids in the school across the street. She injured eight children and a police officer, and killed the principal and a custodian. EMC /Span<>> BDC EMC ( )Tj ( )Tj But for the heroic efforts of a police officer who risked his life to drive a trash truck in front of her residence to block her field of fire, no doubt further children would have been shot.. 0.237 Tw /Span<>> BDC )]TJ During the uninterrupted shooting, two teachers were killed, who saved their children at the cost of their lives. Spencer later said, "I asked for a radio and he bought me a gun." Eventually, officers persuaded her to come out offering her a Burger King meal as an inducement, it was reported and found she had another 200 rounds of ammunition. I think her premature death in 1991 was at least partly the result of this traumatic experience.. I had never heard of this incident but what shocks me the most about this article was how young she was. )Tj EMC )]TJ She didnt realise she was shooting at schoolchildren, mistaking them for birds. /T1_4 1 Tf Ugh, its Monday are the words that usually follow the arrival of the most dreaded day of the week. It didnt upset you that they seemed to have happier lives?, No, she said. 17:46 EST 04 Apr 2019 )]TJ As of December2015, she has been unsuccessful at four parole board hearings. ( )Tj They later had a daughter together. ( )Tj Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race. ( pp. Youre shooting these people as they become targets, and yet you told me that you didnt intend to hit anyone.. A comment so flippant, sarcastic and callous as "I don't like Mondays" as a motivation for shooting up a school tells FBI profiler Candice DeLong that Brenda Spencer was not mentally ill at the time of the shooting and knew what she was doing. I did not know about this case. [(WWW)55 (.SCHOOLSHOOTERS.INFO)]TJ )]TJ -0.003 Tc -0.051 Tw 0.476 0 Td 0.04 Tw 2.118 0 Td Contradicting police reports that found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system, she said she had been taking both and was hallucinating at the time of the shooting. On January 29, 1979, in San Diego, California, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who lived just across the road from the Cleveland Elementary School, opened fire on the students and school personnel with a .22-caliber rifle. EMC When asked why he might have done that, she answered, "I felt like he wanted me to kill myself.". [( 2016 by P)20 (eter Langman, P)5 (h.D)17.1 (. As the children lined up outside the gate, Spencer took out the Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle that she'd gotten as a Christmas gift. /Span<>> BDC While on the phone with Stevens, Spencer had stated that she was just shooting for the fun of it. She went on to say that she just didnt like Mondays and did this because its a way to cheer up the day.3, 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 Spencers true motives in committing such a crime. *JHRD%G'6F':,2CSIxV+KH77XdKtdJ'Z^NUhd~/Hy6D+)r( E(jJQn456Tj EoS)5D):IBgdVVWN/#/Cq:~(x{:xhaeB+:?b#{?LSAOk;HDFfMF>479.%1$kvgY -0.03 Tc 0.537 Tw /Span<>> BDC Not long after Brenda Spencer went to jail, her father married his daughter's teenage cellmate. [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ /T1_5 1 Tf Brenda Spencer excuse was that she had been abused by her father, yet i dont believe that is a true motive as there are hundreds of other victims and not all of them end up shooting elementary schools. xmp.iid:3065e9ea-c692-4fe2-85e9-211b0d4a2955 ( )Tj Biography Brenda also gets two mattresses and pillows, three blankets and is the priority for the coveted bottom bunk. This is a very interesting article and also very relevant to today, as we hear about shootings quite often. My dad and Mike were the only two to die that day, he said, The kids that they were trying to save all lived. [(W)5 (ithout Conscience,)]TJ As of May 2020, she remains in prison. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td (96)Tj 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td /Span<>> BDC -2.118 -1.529 Td /T1_4 1 Tf EMC (101)Tj )]TJ -2.118 -1.529 Td The head custodian, Michael Suchar, known as Mr. ( )Tj ( )Tj At 60 years old, Brenda Spencer height not available right now. Pandemonium ensued as staff charged out of the school in San Diego to help terrified and injured children, shouting at parents to drive on as they arrived to drop off more pupils. (67)Tj View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. /Span<>> BDC ( )Tj Some lawyers involved in the case believe she will soon succeed in a parole application. ( )Tj Brenda Spencer was born April 3rd, 1962 to her mother and father, Dorothy and Wallace Spencer. Spencers absent mother, Dot, claimed she suspected father and daughter had an unhealthy relationship but insisted she couldnt afford a lawyer to fight for custody. -2.118 -1.529 Td Jonathan Fast, Unforgiven and Alone: Brenda Spencer and Secret Shame, in, College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td The commissioner reminded her that she had eventually surrendered. /T1_2 1 Tf EMC Mr McGlinn says such a troubled young girl should never have been allowed near guns and believes her claims that she was hallucinating under the influence of drugs and alchohol. [(: )0.5 (Rowman )0.5 (and )0.5 (Little\037eld,)3 ( )]TJ EMC People who knew the girl, claim that in her biography there was a theft. And with so many U.S. school shootings since, Spencers crime has lost its once unique awfulness and, with it, the notoriety that helped keep her behind bars, they told me. According to court documents she would open fire from her home aiming at young children waiting to get into the school. (87)Tj In December 1978, Spencers probation officer recommended her being admitted to a mental facility, but her father refused to give permission. When her father gifted her the .22 caliber rifle, she thought that he was finally telling her to do it: to take her life successfully, unlike her past suicide attempts, and leave the world forever.7. ( )Tj The two victims were Principal Burton Wragg and custodian Mike Suchar. EMC ( )Tj , updated When asked why she did the shooting, she responded: "I don't like Mondays. representative added that Spencer had complained to the police negotiator that the custodian had tried to get everybody off the school grounds. /T1_4 1 Tf /T1_3 1 Tf That summer, Spencer, who was known to hunt birds in the neighborhood, was arrested for shooting out the windows of Grover Cleveland Elementary with a BB gun and for burglary. 0 Tc 0 Tw 0.471 0 Td I dont think the shooting should have been the choice at all, she could have gone to her mom if she had some problems. /Span<>> BDC Mike to the children, ran to Mr. Wraggs aid, and the inmate shot him in the chest and killed him. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td 0.259 Tw /Span<>> BDC She kept busy behind bars by learning Latin just for the fun of it, she said. Spencer showed no remorse in her crime; her full . EMC 52\22653. What if they got the idea from what I did?. This livens up the day.. She later also spoke with police negotiators, telling them those she had shot made easy targets, and that she was going to "come out shooting." He informed the board that on the Saturday before the shooting Spencer had told another teen that something big was going to happen on Monday that would be on TV and radio. Students at Grover Cleveland Elementary School, located in San Diego, California, began what they believed would be a normal Monday morning like any other, with bells ringing and students racing to their classes. 1 0 obj <>>> endobj 2 0 obj <>stream 0 Tw (-)Tj [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ 0.007 Tc -0.126 Tw /Span<>> BDC When Stevens realized that she gave him her own address, he recognized what was going on and requested an interview while another staff member informed the police of the situation. Brenda Spencer is a sixteen-year-old murderer who entered the top five criminals who participated in the most massive mass shootings of schoolchildren in the history of world criminalistics. His life and death detailed, Where is Amy Fisher now? (92)Tj [(C)11 (opyright )]TJ You didnt go to school that day? the commissioner asked. It's just that the girl at the time had fun. So, why did you commit this crime? the head parole commissioner asked. EMC Hart was a private investigator involved in the case and interviewed Spencer's mother, father, brother, sister, friends, and neighbors within months of the attack. Every new school shooting by a teenager reinforces the argument that she was not uniquely wicked or crazed. [(and )0.5 (A)4.9 (dult P)10 (erpetrat)-10.1 (ors. She described going to the school to collect her fathers personal effects. 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. /T1_4 1 Tf EMC /T1_3 1 Tf After her parents separated, she lived with her father, Wallace Spencer, in virtual poverty. [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ ( )Tj [( p. 207)70 (. Both girls had witnessed the death of the principal and the custodian. ( )Tj Spencer was not once searching for ways to go free. The diminutive 16-year-old with bright red hair then armed herself with the .22 rifle and telescopic sight that her father, Wally, had given her for Christmas and started firing shots from a window. EMC /T1_3 1 Tf ( )Tj Brenda Spencer /T1_3 1 Tf [(\223H)23 (earing 2009,)80 (\224 p. 27)70 (. /T1_4 1 Tf [( N)23 (ew Y)60 (ork: J)23 (ason Aronson, 1976, p. 28. Brenda would go to claim sexual abuse by her father. /T1_3 1 Tf /Span<>> BDC At the time, mass shootings were rare in America, although there had been occasional gun attacks on school premises. 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. After firing 30-36 rounds of ammunition, Spencer barricaded herself inside her home for nearly seven hours. BT /T1_4 1 Tf Survivors of the shooting who attended court recall a bespectacled Spencer staring at them blankly. ( p. They made me numb so I didnt feel anything, she said. 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td -2.118 -1.529 Td -2.118 -1.529 Td 1 Colonization and Settlement (1500-1763), 2 Revolution and Early Republic (1754-1801), 4 Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877), 5 Emergence of Modern America (1877-1929), 4 Late Middle Ages-Renaissance-Reformation Europe (1300-1648), 3 Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE), HS 1302 United States History since 1877, SP 3392 Language Variation and Dialectology of Spanish, Jonathan Fast, Unforgiven and Alone: Brenda Spencer and Secret Shame, in. On January 29, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer killed two people and wounded nine when she fired on San Diego's Grover Cleveland Elementary School with a .22-caliber rifle from her family's house across the street. I find it really interesting to build this article and its literary resources to hook the reader. My name is Crystal Hardy, one began. /T1_3 1 Tf [(M)31 (urd)-5 (er C)30 (ase,)]TJ While at the California Institution for Women in Chino, she worked repairing electronic equipment. 0.766 0.053 Td 0 Tw 2.118 0 Td (65)Tj 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. ( )Tj Including shooting each other in school., The comments below have not been moderated, By She hurt so many people and had so much to do with starting a deadly trend in America, said San Diego Country deputy district attorney Richard Sachs. Lane: F)10 (urther Re\024ec)-20 (tions,)80 (\224 2016. My dad told them that nothing was wrong with me and everything was fine, and leave us alone, she recalled. The Brenda Spencer Murder Case, which was published in 2012, and is the single best source I am aware of regarding Spencer. This was a Monday morning in January 1979. [(H)23 (art)30 (, )]TJ /Span<>> BDC Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 58 years old? According to our Database, She has no children. ( )Tj [(\223H)23 (earing 2009,)80 (\224 p. /T1_3 1 Tf Thus, he had first- [(\223H)23 (earing 2009,)80 (\224 p. -2.118 -1.529 Td /T1_5 1 Tf In 2009, the board again refused her application for parole and ruled it would be ten years before she would be considered again. )]TJ (90)Tj The next time (2001), she began to advance the theory that her brutal act was preceded by her father's abuse of her, but these facts were also not confirmed. 1.647 0 Td Defence experts from Yale University who examined her said she had been in a disassociated state, he said. A neighbor once said when she tried to be friends with Brenda at age 5 Brenda ripped the doll of the neighbor's head off.