Plea agreement filed in case of would-be Mooresville HS school shooter

MOORESVILLE, Ind. — A plea agreement has been filed surrounding the case of Trinity Shockley, a Mooresville High School student who was allegedly planning a school shooting.

According to court documents filed on Monday in Morgan County, Shockley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder, a Level 2 felony. The document was signed by Shockley, as well as officials from the state of Indiana.

In February, law enforcement officials received an anonymous tip that a person, later identified as Shockley, was planning a school shooting at Mooresville High School. According to previous reports, the tip, which originated in Wisconsin, stated that Shockley had access to an AR-15 rifle and had ordered a bulletproof vest.

During an investigation into the tip, law enforcement officials found that Shockley admired Nikolas Cruz, the man who was sentenced for killing more than 15 people in a school shooting at Parkland High School in Florida on Valentine’s Day in 2018.

A search of Shockley’s apartment also found that Shockley had photos on a wall of multiple mass shooters, including Cruz and Dylann Roof, the man who killed multiple people in a church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.

As part of the signed plea deal, Shockley would be sentenced to 20 years—with 12 and a half of those years to be served at the Indiana Department of Correction. Shockley would also be ordered to serve 5 years on probation.

Officials with the Morgan County Prosecutor’s Office said that the sentencing range for the offense is 10-30 years.

The plea agreement included multiple conditions of probation, including a requirement for Shockly to continue to see a qualified mental health professional “to manage and treat any current, past or future mental health diagnosis.”

The agreement states that Shockley will also be banned from any and all Morgan County school property or events and will not be allowed to own or possess any firearms.

“As a condition of probation, (Shockley) shall not be allowed to research, look at or view in any way materials relating to school shooters,” the agreement read.

This offer is contingent on Shockley having no other criminal history other than the charge that the plea agreement was based around, the documents said.

According to previous reports, Shockley was hit by a suspected drunk driver in Mooresville while crossing the street to get to the bus. At the time, Mooresville Schools raised money for Shockley’s recovery.

The court documents indicate that Shockley’s jury trial has been canceled after the plea agreement was filed. At the time of publishing, the court has not officially accepted the signed plea deal.

Shockley’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 24. Officials with the Morgan County Prosecutor’s Office stated that this is expected to be a “contested sentencing in which evidence will be submitted by both sides.”