Americans were still reeling from the elementary-school massacre in Newtown, Conn., when Justin Carter allegedly committed his crime in New Braunfels, a city in central Texas.
“I think I’ma [sic] shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them,” the 19-year-old wrote Feb. 13 on a public Facebook page in response to a taunt by one of his friends. The posting came some two months after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at the school. Reuters
Several Facebook users also reported Justin Carter’s comments to the social-media company and authorities, according to Ivan Friedman, his lawyer.
Mr. Carter and his parents say the comments were made in jest. But local prosecutors are treating them as a terrorist threat, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two years to 10 years in prison.
Read also:
Teen remains jailed after violent comments posted on Facebook (Ars Technica)
Justin Carter, Texas teen, jailed since Feb. after making alleged Facebook threat (CBS News)
Father: Teen Jailed For Facebook Comment Beaten Up Behind Bars (NPR)
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