School shooter who killed 3 students pleads case for parole, but says he still hears voices – CNN

Michael Carneal, now 39, fired a stolen pistol at a before-school prayer group in 1997 and received a life sentence with the opportunity for parole after 25 years.

Michael Carneal was only 14 years old when he committed the crime, and was suffering from undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia. He has committed himself to mental health treatment and educational programs.

In 2002, Carneal told Kentucky’s Courier-Journal that he shot and killed people because he perceived his life as miserable. He said that therapy and medication had stabilized his mental health.

Carneal’s parole hearing starts Monday, and if the board rules against him, they will decide how long he should wait before seeking parole again.

In 1997, Michael Carneal shot and killed three students and injured five others at Heath High School near Paducah, Ky. Missy Jenkins Smith was paralyzed and met with Carneal in prison in 2007 and forgiven him. She is opposed to his release from prison because she thinks he is not equipped to handle life outside of prison.

Daniel Boaz, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Paducah, wrote a letter to the Kentucky Parole Board opposing Michael Carneal’s release. Carneal’s sentence is “a pittance in comparison to what these families suffer,” he wrote.

For additional information on this case, please consider the news outlets listed below to stay in the know.