CASTLE ROCK, CO — A teenager pleaded guilty Friday to 17 charges in the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch shootings that killed one student and injured several others.
Alec McKinney, 16, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Kendrick Castillo and other counts. McKinney, who was to be tried as an adult, and Devon Erickson, 19, had been charged in the May 7 shooting. Erickson pleaded not guilty in the case in January.
McKinney’s attorney pushed to have his client’s case moved to juvenile court late last year, but the motion was denied by a Douglas County judge.
Both teens are accused of walking into the school and opening fire. Castillo, 18, had only three days of school left before graduation when he was killed in the shooting. Eight other students were injured during the attack.
Two of the students were injured when a private security guard, who was trying to stop the attack, fired shots that went through a classroom wall.
McKinney, who was born female but identifies as male, told investigators that he wanted to hurt two of his classmates because they taunted him.
McKinney and Erickson had been charged each with 46 separate counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, 31 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Castillo’s parents have attended every court hearing and have held many press conferences calling for justice.
McKinney’s sentencing is set for May 18. Under Colorado law, defendants who commit crimes as juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Erickson’s trial is scheduled for May 26.
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