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Who Is William Whitworth? Teen Accused Of Planning Multiple School Shootings
According to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, William Whitworth, a former student of District 20 has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly planning assaults on three schools in the Colorado Springs area. The schools in question are all located in the city of Colorado Springs.
Who Is William Whitworth? What Are The Allegations?
According to the affidavit, members of the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office arrested William Whitworth, 19, also known as “Lilly,” on March 31 on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder in addition to other offenses. William Whitworth identifies himself as “Lilly.”
During the weeklong spring break that was observed by Academy School District 20, students were not present at any of the district’s schools.
According to the authorities, the bedroom of the former student who is suspected of plotting a mass shooting at the Colorado Springs school contained instructions on how to make homemade bombs as well as a whiteboard with the floor plan to Timberview Middle School.
The Elbert County Sheriff’s Office was summoned to a home in an unincorporated region after a family member there claimed William Whitworth had threatened to shoot up a school and made several references to school shootings, according to the affidavit used in the arrest.
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The suspect was contacted at his residence following reports of threats to schools. Deputy said that William Whitworth nodded in agreement when asked if he planned to commit a school shooting.
At the initial contact between the deputies and the suspect, the deputies observed that the suspect exhibited signs of being intoxicated.
William Whitworth, now 19, went to Prairie Hills Elementary School from August 2014 until February 2015, Home School Academy from January 2016 until February 2016, and Timberview Middle School from August 2016 until October 3, 2016. That’s a total of nine months spent at three different District 20 schools over the course of two years.
Charges Against William Whitworth
Attempting to Commit Murder in the First Degree (two counts), Criminal Mischief, Menacing, and Interfering with Staff, Professors, or Students of Educational Institutions are the charges that have been brought against the defendant.
The deputy stated that William Whitworth had been planning the school shooting for almost a month and a half and that he was approximately a third of the way towards carrying it out.
Whitworth told the deputies that one of the “primary targets” was the Timberview Middle School, which is located on Scarborough Drive in Colorado Springs. The other “major targets” were churches.
The affidavit makes reference to a manifesto that has one full page devoted to discussing the killings of multiple people. According to the rumor, the paper contains schematics of classrooms as well as a detonator.
The affidavit claims that when deputies returned to the scene to collect evidence, they found more journals containing information about firearms detailed lists of mass killings, explosive devices, and the locations of the targeted schools.
All of this information was found in the residence of the suspect. When the suspect was taken into custody, there was no evidence that any firearms or explosives were present in the residence or in the suspect’s possession.
The preliminary hearing for William Whitworth was slated to take place on May 5th, 2023. The amount of the bond is presently seventy-five thousand dollars.
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