Kentucky School Shooter Give 2 Life Terms
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- June 15, 2020
Gabriel Parker, now 18, has been sentenced to two life sentences for killing two classmates at his high school in 2018. He will received an additional 70 years in prison for 14 counts of assault.
The shooting took place on Jan. 23, 2018 at Marshall County High School.
The shooter pleaded guilty in April to two counts of murder and 14 counts of assualt. According to court documents, he will be eligible for parole in 20 years. He was 15 years old when he fired a handgun at the school, killing Bailey Nicole Holt and Preston Ryan Cope. Both victims were 15 years old.
Sheriff's deputies disarmed and took the shooter into custody after the shooting at the high school in Benton. He was charged as an adult.
Marshall County Circuit Judge James Jameson, who graduated from that high school, said "I just can't imagine what happened that day" and he fought back tears in addressing the families of the victims.
"There's no real justice to be had here, for any of you," Jameson said, according to video of the proceedings from CBS affiliate KFVS. "We can't give you your children back."
Addressing Parker, Jameson said, "there's no way that can be given," and he said, "it's just a senseless murder of two individuals," and damage to others.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher of Security Today magazine.