Isabelle Valdez and Lois Lippert, both 15, are accused of plotting to murder a male classmate at Lake Brantley High School in Seminole County. The teens allegedly planned to stab the classmate to death because they believed he resembled the shooter who killed 26 people in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Case Details
According to police, the girls believed that killing their classmate could resurrect the Sandy Hook shooter. Valdez was scheduled to appear in Seminole County court for a hearing but did not appear in person. Her lawyer, Edward Lopez, told the judge that he is trying to work out an agreement with prosecutors to avoid a trial.
Lopez stated that the State Attorney’s Office has not agreed to any kind of plea deal due to the severity of the charges. In May, Valdez sent a letter to the judge asking for sympathy and claiming that she suffers from mental health issues. Earlier this month, prosecutors filed new charges against her after investigators found child pornography on her cell phone.
The judge set Valdez’s next hearing for August, and Lippert is scheduled for a hearing in September. The case has raised concerns about the mental health and well-being of the accused girls, as well as the potential consequences of their actions.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.