PADUCAH, Ky. -- A 15-year-old boy accused of killing three of his classmates and injuring five other students during a shooting spree at Heath High School wants to change his pleas in the case. CP:M. Carneal
Attorneys for Michael Carneal filed a motion in McCracken Circuit Court late Wednesday afternoon. It requests that the teen-ager's pleas of not guilty to nine charges stemming from the shootings last December be changed to guilty but mentally ill.
Mr. Carneal, a freshman at the time of the shootings, faces three counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Five students were also injured in the spree.
The three-page motion asks Judge Jeff Hines to accept the pleas and that a hearing be set for 9 a.m. Monday, half an hour before Mr. Carneal's trial is to begin.
Judge Hines' secretary, Kim Thornton, said the hearing will likely be held at that time.
The motion says, in part, that the defendant "is guilty of the above offenses, that he has admitted that he is guilty of the above offenses, and that he has never denied that he is guilty of the above offenses. Michael Carneal is mentally ill, and he needs treatment while incarcerated. However, he did not suffer from any severe mental conditions constituting insanity at the time of the offense."
The document also says a trial, which is expected to last about 10 days, is unnecessary and "would be unduly painful for the victims, their families and the community."
