Connetquot High School Plot
Encyclopedia
The Connetquot High School plot was a 15-year old boy's plan to kill students and staff at Connetquot High School in New York
, on the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre
in 2007.
The teen's plans were uncovered after a black notebook containing the details of the massacre was found by staff at a local McDonald's where the teen had accidentally left it.
The teenager, Christopher Franko, Michael McDonough, entered a guilty plea
July 31, 2007, in court. He originally was charged with fifth-degree conspiracy, a misdemeanor
. He admitted planning to kill students and staff at the school.
Investigators began looking into the pair after finding a journal describing a plot to attack Connetquot High School
with guns and explosives.
Police said they found notes referring to the April 20, 1999, attack at Colorado's Columbine High School
, where two student gunmen killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves. They determined that the two Long Island teens had looked for ways to purchase weapons but never acquired any.
McDonough was charged as an adult with misdemeanor
conspiracy
, punishable by up to a year in jail, and is free on $50,000 bond. His court-appointed lawyer, Robert Flick, has said his client was "barely" culpable in the alleged plot.
The 15-year-old was sent to a children's psychiatric center while awaiting sentencing back in court Aug 21, 2007. His lawyer said that he was teased for living in a Trailer Park.
Two years later, Franko was stopped in a second plot to shoot people at Connetquot High School. On May 7, 2010 he and Dana Saltzman, a 16 year old girl he met at a special education school he attended after Connetquot, were arrested after Franko's social worker tipped off police that he and the girl might be planning to shoot up the school.
The two had attempted to purchase a shotgun but neither was 18 at the time. Franko had planned to return on June 8, 2010 - his 18th birthday - to buy the weapon. Police learned that the two intended to shoot security at the school on June 10th, then gun down as many students as they could before police would arrive. At that point they planned to have a shoot-out with the cops then commit suicide. Franko was held without bail till his June 8 court date and ordered to have no contact with anyone from Connetquot. Saltzman was released without bail with a court date set for June 17. Franko was later sentenced to 3-9 years in prison.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
in 2007.
The teen's plans were uncovered after a black notebook containing the details of the massacre was found by staff at a local McDonald's where the teen had accidentally left it.
The teenager, Christopher Franko, Michael McDonough, entered a guilty plea
Plea
In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a civil or criminal case under common law using the adversary system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a criminal defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response to a criminal charge, whether that...
July 31, 2007, in court. He originally was charged with fifth-degree conspiracy, a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
. He admitted planning to kill students and staff at the school.
Investigators began looking into the pair after finding a journal describing a plot to attack Connetquot High School
Connetquot High School
Connetquot High School is a public high school serving students from the communities of Bohemia, Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale and Ronkonkoma in the ninth through twelfth grades located in Bohemia, New York and is part of the Connetquot Central School District.-Athletics:The school competes in...
with guns and explosives.
Police said they found notes referring to the April 20, 1999, attack at Colorado's Columbine High School
Columbine High School
Columbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.- History :Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973. There was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975...
, where two student gunmen killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves. They determined that the two Long Island teens had looked for ways to purchase weapons but never acquired any.
McDonough was charged as an adult with misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
, punishable by up to a year in jail, and is free on $50,000 bond. His court-appointed lawyer, Robert Flick, has said his client was "barely" culpable in the alleged plot.
The 15-year-old was sent to a children's psychiatric center while awaiting sentencing back in court Aug 21, 2007. His lawyer said that he was teased for living in a Trailer Park.
Two years later, Franko was stopped in a second plot to shoot people at Connetquot High School. On May 7, 2010 he and Dana Saltzman, a 16 year old girl he met at a special education school he attended after Connetquot, were arrested after Franko's social worker tipped off police that he and the girl might be planning to shoot up the school.
The two had attempted to purchase a shotgun but neither was 18 at the time. Franko had planned to return on June 8, 2010 - his 18th birthday - to buy the weapon. Police learned that the two intended to shoot security at the school on June 10th, then gun down as many students as they could before police would arrive. At that point they planned to have a shoot-out with the cops then commit suicide. Franko was held without bail till his June 8 court date and ordered to have no contact with anyone from Connetquot. Saltzman was released without bail with a court date set for June 17. Franko was later sentenced to 3-9 years in prison.