When asked why she did it, her reply was "I just don't like Mondays." When 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire on Cleveland Elementary School in the San Diego bedroom community of San Carlos, the incident marked the first high profile mass school shooting in the United States. B renda Ann Spencer was born on April 3, 1962. Instead, he purchased the weapon that his daughter would later use to target the school. When Brenda's parents divorced, she and her siblings stayed with their father. Brenda Spencer (born April 3, 1962) lived in the San Carlos neighborhood of San Diego, California in a house across the street from Grover Cleveland Elementary School in the San Diego Unified School District. On January 17, 1989, almost ten years after the events at San Diego's Grover Cleveland Elementary, there was another shooting at a school coincidentally named Grover Cleveland Elementary, this one in Stockton, California. Her father, Wallace, explained the out of place gift as a way for them to spend time together . While at the California Institution for Women in Chino, she worked repairing electronic equipment.[7][18]. People born on April 3 fall under the Zodiac sign of Aries, the Ram. Though the name Brenda Ann Spencer may not ring any bells today, her story and the phrase that she became known for have lived on in infamy. It was 26 years ago today, but those horrific events are . Brenda Ann Spencer was born in San Diego, California, on April 3, 1962. . Call Us Today! The police officer who arrived at the incident was shot in the neck. Twin Creeks Golf Membership Cost, For 20 years now, Wallace Spencer has maintained a public silence about his daughter's crime. [5], Further casualties were avoided only because the police obstructed her line of fire by moving a garbage truck in front of the school entrance. Her father went on to marry Spencer's 17-year-old Juvenile Hall cellmate but they later divorced. Brenda Spencer shot and killed two adults, wounded eight children and a San Diego police officer at Cleveland Elementary School in San Carlos on Jan. 29, 1979, 40 years ago. Hart was a private investigator involved in the case and interviewed Spencer's mother, father, brother, sister, friends, and neighbors within months of the attack. Still, she finds herself thinking about it in the abstract at the preschool where she teaches, especially when she's outside with the children. She also told police negotiators the children and adults whom she had shot were easy targets and that she was going to "come out shooting". The flippant phrase inspired a hit single, I Dont Like Mondays, by Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats. The bullet struck Cam in the back and exited his chest, missing internal organs but leaving scar tissue that still hurts two decades later if he stretches the wrong way or lifts weights. Charged as an adult, she pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and was sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after 25 years. . Brenda Spencer was a young girl turned deadly killer. Lisa Harvey Gondrezick Louisiana Tech, Spencers deadly plot was far from the earliest attack on an American school, but it was one of the first modern school shootings that led to multiple deaths and injuries. Later, Cam went with his parents to court. She was frequently absent from school. Brenda Spencer's parents unsuccessfully tried to get the song banned in America. Brenda Spencer's father still lives across the street from the old school, and if Brenda were ever paroled, Cam figures, that is where she would return. He just said we'll deal with it as a family. A reporter reached Spencer by phone while she was still in the house after the shooting, and asked her why she committed the crime. At least once a night, he remembers, he would wake his mother and have her walk him around the house, to the back where there was a wall of windows. Her Dad, Wallace Spencer, gave her a semi-automatic .22 calibre rifle for Christmas in 1978. In 20 minutes she had shot: Principal Burton Wragg. A plaque and flagpole were erected at Cleveland Elementary in memory of the shooting victims. When the principal rushed out and tried to help the children, he was immediately shot and killed by Brenda. Just seen a documentary on her.cold hearted freak, Could they not release her into semi open prison first then into real life society with a life time tag on her - I would also like to see a change in this 3 rule strike and your out - some people are in prison for stealing a packet of biscuits and there given Life - This cannot be right. She resembled Brenda, Christy noticed. One of those children was Miller, who believes Spencer targeted him that morning because he was wearing a down vest in her favorite color: blue. CAPTION: (Photo ran in an earlier edition) Police rush to the scene of a sniper attack on Grover Cleveland Elementary School in a San Diego suburb 20 years ago. He promised that a Burger King Whopper would be waiting for her. In 16-year-old Brenda Spencer, we find the genesis monster. Brenda Ann Spencer is a famous American convicted murderer, who was born on April 3, 1962. Neighbors claimed Spencer had a history of petty theft, drug abuse, and truancy. In the Female Killers documentary, I Don't Like Mondays [1], Dot describes her daughter as "always happy and a good child. . i think that maybe the harsh reality is that she was very distraught at the fact that her family was breaking down and the fact that her relationship with her family was not a healthy atmosphere to be around maybe it all got too much for her and she fell into heavy depression and once christmas came she could have really fell back and it could have just caused a slip in her mind yes it was the wrong thing to do shooting up a school of children and yes she has to live with it but people do things not even the can justify but can regret deeply i think maybe people dot think things well through before responding to these situations.i do agree that yes she could be released and the society would be free from harm she has had twenty six years of imprisonment maybe she isnt the same imature child she was she is much older and wiser to the grief she has inflicted on a lot of other families.. She might have commited a really dreadful crime but has served a long time for this in Prison and should now be released but Justice in America is unforgiving and so I believe she will never be released such a pity tragic really as I beieve she has paid her debt to society but she is only 1 of 1000's in American Prisons with absolutely no chance of a life having commited a crime the law just never believes in forgiveness She was a child when she did this for heavens sake, this is ture now she shouldent be aloud of because if she getts of you dont no do you she could do it again you donno she mit !!! The teens attorneys considered pursuing an insanity plea, but it never came to fruition. Business California brenda ann spencer father . He was wearing his brand-new blue down vest that day, he recalls, and a matching shirt. Dead Files Medina, Ny House, Robb was awarded a medal of valor for rushing forward to try to save those who had been shot. I held it in. Reportedly, Brenda later said that she asked for a radio instead but he insisted on a gun as a present. Anna 027 457 7918 | Landline 09 579 9841 | hudanalys kristianstad Brenda Spencer was born April 3rd, 1962 to her mother and father, Dorothy and Wallace Spencer. For many gardeners, it starts with tomatoes. To this day, 60-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer remains locked up in prison at the California Institution for Women in Corona. Cam would insist on touching each pane of glass, to assure himself that none was broken, that "she" hadn't slipped inside. Google searches can provide inform. Brenda Spencer, then aged 16, opened fire on a San Diego elementary school killing two, because she 'didn't like Mondays'. Wallace Spencer was previously married to Dot Spencer. . He always remembered that day, Barnes said. . Jan 23, 2018 Magda Origjanska On January 29, 1979, in San Diego, California, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who lived just across the road from the Cleveland Elementary School, opened fire on the students and school personnel with a .22-caliber rifle. A 16-year-old girl's deadly attack on a San Diego elementary school ended two lives and changed others. "I didn't talk about it. He and other wounded children were hustled to the auditorium to await an ambulance. Author: Alfred Weidinger CC BY 2.0, When the shooting was finished, Spencer shut herself in her house and stayed there for hours. She also killed 56-year-old custodian Mike Suchar as he tried to pull a student to safety. And I dont today.. Police later found half empty alcohol bottles throughout the house. She keeps a scrapbook of newspaper articles and photos, and still has the jacket she wore that day stashed away somewhere. Dwarf Mr Snow, Fred's Tie Dye, Saucy Mary, Sweet Scarlet, Kangaroo Paw Green, Idaho Gem and Banana Toes are just a few of the varieties one gardener is growing in a 4x8 bed of "bulletproof" tomatoes. Its your comrade and you assist him, Guerrero said. By this, she was referring to the fact that she had just fired 30 rounds of ammunition into a San Diego elementary school, using a semiautomatic rifle. Brenda Spencer began shooting at 8:30. As with any mass shooting, Spencers sniper assault on the elementary school changed the lives of the widows, the wounded, their families and a community. And how come she hasn't brought charges against her Dad for rape?!? He noted that Suchar had been in the Seabees, a Navy construction battalion, during World War II and emerged with no battle wounds. Then, read about the Dunblane Massacre, the deadliest school shooting in the U.K. Before The Columbine Massacre Or Parkland Shooting, There Was Brenda Ann Spencer. On April 4, 1980, a day after her 18th birthday, she was sentenced to 25 years to life. The school was closed in 1983, along with a dozen other schools around the city, due to declining enrollment. Spencer shot and killed Wragg as he and teacher Daryl Barnes tried to help children. Age 16, she was 5'2" (157 cm) and had bright red hair. Born in 1962 in San Diego, California, and raised across the street from the Grover Cleveland Elementary School, by her sixteenth birthday Brenda stood all of 5'2" and sported bright red hair. Police Officer Robert Robb. Her former defense attorney said the Patrick Henry High School student suffered from a broken home, an abusive father, drug use and hostility toward authorities and society in general. Miraculously, none of the children were killed, though eight of them were injured. When it comes to yellow tomatoes, Carolina Gold is a popular determinate variety. Wallace Spencer "We used to target shoot in the mountains." Brenda brags to her friends that she's "going to do something that will be on tv." They used to sleep on a single mattress on the living room floor. [8], Spencer was charged as an adult and pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Brenda Spencer, aged 16, fired rifle shots into a school playground in California in January 1979, killing the head teacher and caretaker and wounding eight children and a police officer. [dead link][5][7] [8], Acquaintances said Spencer expressed hostility toward policemen, had spoken about shooting one, and had talked of doing something big to get on television. There are emotional scars, as well. As of 2022, Spencer has been unsuccessful at six parole board hearings. On the morning of January 29, 1979, children began to line up outside Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California. Wallace Spencer got married to a woman younger than Spencer and had a daughter. It was 26 years ago today, but those horrific events are . Brenda Ann Spencer. She deserves life and no less. The house was a depressing sight to behold. Miller recalls that his mother had just dropped him off, about 8:30 a.m., and he saw the principal and custodian lying in the parking lot near some bushes. He died at age 87 in 2016. Spencer house. $175 raised of $7,000 goal. Meanwhile, San Diego police had raced to the school on reports of gunfire, children shot, then an officer wounded. But Wallace Spencer reportedly refused to admit her, claiming that he could handle his daughters mental health issues on his own. Though the cops sent negotiators to speak with her, she refused to cooperate with them. "I went over there father-to-father, hoping to talk to him," he recalls. Her father went on to marry Spencer's 17-year-old Juvenile Hall cellmate but they later divorced. One day the little girl announced to her: "My sister's in jail. Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |, KB homes were built on the former site of Cleveland Elementary School in San Carlos. According to police reports and her classmates descriptions, Brenda was an introvert, often behaving strangely. [32], The Lifetime Movies series Killer Kids released an episode "Deadly Compulsion" depicting Spencer's crimes which first aired date in September 3, 2014. . I felt like he wanted me to kill myself., Bettmann/Contributor/Getty ImagesStanding 52 tall and weighing 89 pounds, Brenda Spencer was once described as too small to be scary.. They still live in the same house. Head Custodian Mike Suchar. Both have since died, and two surviving sons dont like to speak publicly about it, family members said. Now I think its better to talk about it, Stahl said. she deserves life but i think killing those people was a bit extreme!! They said they had a green light to kill Spencer if they had an opportunity. And some believe that she helped inspire future school shootings in later years, such as the Columbine High School massacre, the Virginia Tech shooting, and the Parkland mass murder. [14], After firing thirty-six times,[12] Spencer barricaded herself inside her home for several hours. Her parents were separated, and she lived in squalor with her alcoholic father, Wallace Spencer. He still has occasional nightmares about Spencer. Other children lay bleeding on the stage.

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