Chardon shooter T.J. Lane sentenced to life without parole

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(Gallery by Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

CHARDON, Ohio -- T.J. Lane will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing three students and wounding three others in the Chardon High School cafeteria Feb. 27, 2012.

Before his sentence, Lane, wearing a white T-shirt with the word "killer" written across the front, said: "This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. F--- all of you."

Gasps were heard around the courtroom at that point and some in the gallery began to cry.

Bilicic told Lane his rights, and the youth quickly admitted that he, alone, was the gunman. Asked why, Lane said he didn't know.

Bilicic said Lane told him he just "killed a bunch of people." When Bilicic asked him why, he said, "I don't know." At another point when asked why, he said, "I don't really understand myself."

The deputy said Lane told him he was aiming for heads so students wouldn't suffer.

Bilicic asked Lane if he was suicidal, used drugs or alcohol, or suffered from depression; Lane replied, "No."

From the beginning of his defense, his case appeared to hinge on his mental state. He initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Last year, Dr. Phillip Resnick, a professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, testified at a hearing that Lane suffers from serious mental problems, including auditory hallucinations, depression and involuntary fantasies that fill his mind.

Despite that, Geauga County Juvenile Court Judge Timothy Grendell found him competent to stand trial in his court. Grendell, however, later transferred the case to Fuhry's courtroom, where the youth faced adult charges.

A second evaluation of Lane determined that he was competent, and authorities said the issues that Lane showed in the first report were nonexistent in the second report.

With Cliff Pinckard