William Whitworth, who identifies as a female named Lilly, is accused of planning shootings at schools in Colorado. (The school photo is a screengrab from CBS Colorado affiliate KCNC-TV; the mug shot is from the District Attorney’s Office in the 18th Judicial District in Colorado)
A teenager was sentenced this week for planning shootings at schools and churches in Colorado, naming in a manifesto people to be targeted, the locations of schools, and instructions on how to make guns with a 3D printer, authorities said.
William Whitworth, who identifies as “Lilly Whitworth,” was sentenced this week to six years in prison, followed by three years of mandatory parole, prosecutors said. She pleaded guilty in November to second-degree assault for threatening to target three schools in Colorado Springs Academy District 20.
Prosecutors sought 10 years, but outside court, Chief Deputy District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office Eva Wilson said she was pleased the judge did not give Whitworth probation, which was an option, local affiliate KRDO reported.
“It’s an abomination to think of someone wanting to kill children, especially in a school setting when this is every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said. “I hope that what this shows is that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in a civilized society.
An affidavit obtained by Law&Crime in April details how the case came about.
A deputy with the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office responded on March 31 to a disturbance in unincorporated Elbert, 55 miles south of Denver.
The suspect’s sister told deputies she had severe anger issues, punched holes in the walls, threatened to shoot up a school, and had recently made comments about it, the affidavit said. At the home, the sister told deputies Whitworth was asleep, and deputies would have to go around the side to get in due to boxes piled upstairs, the document said.
The house was littered with trash, making it hard to walk, authorities said. Containers filled with half-eaten food and mold growing inside, and numerous alcoholic beverage containers littered the place. The walls were damaged with what appeared to be punch marks. The door to a bedroom was off its hinges and lying beside the opening.
In the then-19-year-old suspect’s room, trash was piled as high as the bed, and the white sheets were stained brown, the affidavit said. The deputy stepped over the trash and had to reach out to touch her on the foot to wake her up. She appeared to be drowsy and could not stay awake.
When police spoke with Whitworth, she allegedly said she had been planning the shooting for a month or two and that her former school, Timberview Middle School in Colorado Springs, was one of the “main targets.” Other targets were churches, police said.
She allegedly told the deputy she had started a manifesto with “schizophrenic rants” and a page referring to “a bunch of mass killers.”
On a dry-erase board downstairs, deputies said they saw what looked like a labeled floor plan of a school listing various rooms. In notebooks, deputies found drawings of what appeared to be an office desk set up and a clock to use as a detonation device with instructions for detonation. A notebook contained names of mass killers.
She allegedly told a deputy she had learned about the detonator on YouTube before explaining how bad YouTube’s safety procedures were.
While in custody, the defendant told a jail staff member that if she had been able to bail out, she would still try to carry out the original mass shooting plan, prosecutors said. So her bond was increased to $750,000, and she ultimately accepted a plea deal, authorities said.
“This case shows our commitment to taking threats seriously and being proactive in preventing a potential tragedy,” Wilson said in a news release. “We commend the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work on this case. We’re glad no one was injured.”
Added District Attorney John Kellner: “We often question how tragedies happen after it’s too late. In this case, a family member had the courage and strength to pick up the phone and call for help. I encourage everyone when it comes to school security, if you see something concerning to report it right away. That call may save lives.”
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