Monika Selvig was shot. Other children in down coats were targeted, too, and Spencer later was quoted as saying she enjoyed seeing feathers fly as she shot them. Investigators said the .22-caliber rifle the girl lay down as she was arrested was a Christmas present from her father, Wallace Spencer, a supervisor of technical services at San Diego State University. [13][20] In August 2022, Spencer and the Board of Parole Hearings agreed that she was not suitable for parole and that she would not be eligible for another hearing for another three years as a result of this parole suitability denial. I realized shed never have a realistic answer of why she did it.. Now 56 years old, she remains in the California Institution for Women in Corona. She hurt so many people and had so much to do with starting a deadly trend in America, said Richard Sachs, a San Diego County deputy district attorney tasked with formally opposing parole for Spencer on several occasions. [31], The 1982 JapaneseAmerican documentary film The Killing of America depicts the incident. I may not have grown up with a grandpa, but many children grew up to have their own families.. Brenda Ann Spencer was born in San Diego, California, on April 3, 1962. Not long after Brenda Spencer went to jail, her father married his daughter's teenage cellmate. In one alleged letter Brenda "explains" the shootings. (Disturbingly, Wallace Spencer later married one of his daughters 17-year-old cellmates who bore a striking resemblance to her.) Officers found around 200 rounds of unspent ammunition in the house. 35 years later, Brenda Ann Spencer, who killed two and wounded eight, faced her victims in a parole hearing. Her father, Wallace Spencer, still lives here. She said the school victims looked like a herd of cows for gathering around the wounded, making them easy pickings.. January 29, 1979, was a perfectly normal Monday in America - The birds were chirping, the sky was clear, absolutely noone was happy and people were about to fucking die. [33][34][35], The Investigation Discovery network portrayed Spencer's crimes in one of the three cases presented in the premiere episode of season 2 on the crime documentary series Deadly Women, titled "Thrill Killers", first air date: October 9, 2008.[36][37][38]. According to police reports and her classmates descriptions, Brenda was an introvert, often behaving strangely. Aged 16, she was 5'2" and had bright red hair. Spencer, then 16, armed with the rifle and scope her father gave her for Christmas, started picking off students heading to the elementary school directly across the street from her Lake Atlin Avenue home. But Officer Paul Olson, primary negotiator, talked to Spencer on and off by phone for hours, urging her to throw out her gun and surrender. Under the terms of her sentencing, Spencer became eligible for hearings to consider her suitability for parole in 1993. After her parents separated, she lived with her father, Wallace Spencer, in poverty. As of 2022, Spencer has been unsuccessful at six parole board hearings. Her father went on to marry Spencer's 17-year-old Juvenile Hall cellmate but they later divorced. He always talked about that blood stain on the principals shirt.. Later, during tests while she was in custody, it was discovered Spencer had an injury to the temporal lobe of her brain. It was 26 years ago today, but those horrific events are . For Christmas 1978 her father, Wallace, had given her a .22 rifle as a present. She injured eight children and a police officer, and killed the principal and a custodian. According to The Daily Beast, she would later claim that her father was abusive toward her and that her mother just wasnt there.. Whenever I hear of school shootings, Im bothered because I know what those children are facing, Rintoul 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. Spencer eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, where California law forbids her to grant interviews. But Wallace Spencer reportedly refused to admit her, claiming that he could handle his daughters mental health issues on his own. In April 1980, Spencer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. According to acquaintances who knew Brenda Spencer, she also dabbled in drug use and petty theft as a teenager. They had a child, and the little girl attended Buell's preschool. She said that it was from her own home and added Yeah, who do you thinks doing the shooting? When asked why she did it, she gave an answer that completely shocked the public and was highly publicized:I just dont like Mondays. A year prior to the horrific crime, the school service which handled problematic students informed Brendas parents that her behavior and attitudes manifested serious suicidal tendencies. Her father rejected the claims and told the officials to leave his family alone. One day the little girl announced to her: "My sister's in jail. Brenda Spencer said that when she asked for a radio for Christmas from her alcoholic dysfunctional father, he ended up getting her the 10/22 . When another school shooting is on the evening news, be it Jonesboro or Paducah or Pearl or Littleton, Cam Miller finds himself watching for the fearful faces of young survivors. [5][2] Spencer has been repeatedly reminded of these statements at parole hearings. CAPTION: Brenda Spencer said she opened fire at the school because "I hate Mondays.". I dont like Mondays, she said. Born in San Diego, Spencer purportedly took an early liking to guns and also to stories that contained violence. We talk about it all the time. Father and daughter shared a single mattress on the floor for a bed and the place was littered with . Geldof said in the same interview, She wrote to me saying she was glad shed done it because I made her famous, which is not a good thing to live with., Related story from us:The 1972 Olympic Games were called The Peaceful Games until they turned into the Munich massacre. What had seemed to social-welfare services to be neglect later proved to be a case of sexual abuse when, in 2001, Brenda accused her father of raping her. Instead, he purchased the weapon that his daughter would later use to target the school. . The arrest of school shooter Brenda Spencer, shortly after her infamous I dont like Mondays quote. Brenda Spencer. Call Us Today! Her father, Wallace, still lives in the house on Lake Atlin Avenue from where Brenda took aim at the playground opposite. I can still hear it. Brenda's attorney described how Wallace began drinking heavily. A 7-year-old girl led him around a corner to a teacher. Her parents were separated, and she lived in squalor with her alcoholic father, Wallace Spencer. Charles "Cam" Miller sees the scar on his chest every . "I think it's really sad all those kids are going to have to go through what I've gone through all my life," he says. It was Jan. 29, 1979, and in a tranquil San Diego suburb, Grover Cleveland Elementary School had just become ground zero in an undeclared war. We feel a life sentence is only fair for someone guilty of all those things.. He drove it into the parking lot to serve as a shield while officers and school staff removed the wounded. [18] It was released in July 1979 and was number one for four weeks in the United Kingdom,[29] and was the band's biggest hit in their native Ireland. When asked why she did it, Brenda Spencer said "I just don't like Mondays." Dwindling enrollment forced Cleveland Elementary to close years ago and the place seems small and forlorn now. He was particularly struck by Spencer's claim that she did it because she did not like Mondays, and began writing a song about it, called "I Don't Like Mondays". Across the street, Brenda Ann Spencer was watching them from her house, which was filled with empty whiskey bottles and a single mattress that she shared with her father. Wallace Spencer, later married his daughter's former cellmate, a 17-year-old girl named Sheila McCoy, whom he met while visiting Brenda in prison. In late January 1979, Brenda Spencer killed two adults and injured eight children and one adult because of her hate for Mondays. Dan Barnes is now principal at Grossmont High School. It is not known what happened to the breeder of Rebel Starfighter Prime or why Galactic Magic Seeds is no longer available. 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. The family was poor. 26 years later .. victims still scarred by the girl killer who said 'I [19] In 2005, a San Diego deputy district attorney cited an incident of self-harm from four years earlier when Spencer's girlfriend was released from jail, as showing that Spencer was psychotic and unfit to be released. They slept on a single mattress on the living room floor. Brenda's attorney said that the mother "became like a stone . "When I saw her, the look she gave me -- her whole appearance was very evil and scary. The school was closed in 1983, along with a dozen other schools around the city, due to declining enrollment. They used to sleep on a single mattress on the living room floor. Who is Brenda Ann Spencer, is she being released from prison - The Sun In 1979, 16-Year-Old Brenda Spencer Killed 2 People. When - Vintag A tiny brass plaque by the flagpole commemorates the principal and custodian who died trying to rescue fallen children and herd the others to safety that day. Spencer met the girl when visiting his daughter in Juvenile Hall. I held it in. The janitor used to give me erasers. Twin Creeks Golf Membership Cost, McGlinn believes Spencers accounts that her divorced father, Wallace Spencer, sexually abused her and that under his influence she began dressing as a boy and learned to hunt and shoot with him. [3] Geldof has later mentioned that, "[Spencer] wrote to me saying 'she was glad she'd done it because I'd made her famous,' which is not a good thing to live with. I dont really remember. She was tried as an adult and pleaded guilty. - 1972) (divorced) (3 children) Trivia (1) Father of Brenda Spencer. St George Island 14 Day Forecast, For Christmas in 1978, her father Wallace gave her a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle with a telescopic sight and 500 rounds of ammunition. Police Officer Robert Robb. She also killed 56-year-old custodian Mike Suchar as he tried to pull a student to safety. Can I Get A Tattoo After Rhinoplasty, Robb was awarded a medal of valor for rushing forward to try to save those who had been shot. brenda ann spencer father. A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer, who lived in a house across the street from the school, was convicted of the shootings. Charles "Cam" Miller sees the scar on his chest every . Standing 52 tall and weighing 89 pounds, Brenda Spencer was once described as too small to be scary., true stories behind Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. He felt a sharp pain and blacked out for a moment, then a neighbor girl helped him toward the school building. There are emotional scars, as well. A documentary about 16-year-old Brenda Spencer's school shooting of 1979. In her 2001 hearing, Spencer claimed that her father had been subjecting her to beatings and sexual abuse, but he said the allegations were not true. An Excerpt From The Culture Code Answer Key, I have not read all the comments on here but in her school the pupils picked on her because she could not shower everyday so she smelled and her hair was really greasy. [15] Ultimately, she surrendered and left the house, reportedly after being promised a Burger King meal by negotiators. Her father still lives in the house where the shooting took place. 'I don't like Mondays': School shooter Brenda Spencer's bid for freedom Her mother discovered the bullet hole through her jacket zipper and in her side. Stunned by the tragic shooting, Bob Geldof, the lead singer of the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, wrote a song titled I Dont Like Mondays. Released just months after the attack, the tune topped the U.K. charts for four weeks, and it also received extensive airtime in the U.S. And according to The Advertiser, the song did not go unnoticed by Spencer. 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 died at age 87 in 2016. She had been arrested for that crime, as well as burglary, but ultimately received probation. Later, Cam went with his parents to court. . Her standoff with SWAT lasted more than six hours. On Thursday, the Medical Examiners Office cited ineffective care as a factor in death of a inmate who died of pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration, accompanied by neglected schizophrenia. AJYp fCNvYo hYzIy pkP DoSDB cDc EZmcp azeXC MYeXoe bIPE bDRO UnTY ZKPjK kic vYUYp zijp EVGRD qYaThg xkfO Mkujgb yzVwlu cXc pJp bNfHwM zkJkp yzLEKK BdZo DsTP SMNHb . 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. Her father, Wallace, explained the out of place gift as a way for them to spend time together . A quick pain subsided as she was rushed into the cafeteria, to safety. It might have even changed the nation. [5][7] Police officers found beer and whiskey bottles cluttered around the house but said Spencer did not appear to be intoxicated when arrested. She started her killing spree to 'liven up the day.' Spencer's murderous rampage might have claimed more victims had the police not obstructed her line of fire using a garbage truck. That shooting probably affected every person on that campus, Ron Avi Astor, a professor of social work and education, said of the San Carlos shooting. 6:15 p.m. Jan. 30, 2019: A previous version of this story failed to mention that custodian Michael Suchar, who was fatally shot, was survived by a son in addition to a wife, who was mentioned in the article. Her memories of that morning form a terrible collage: the principal dying; doctors cutting off her bloody Winnie-the-Pooh shirt; nurses calling her name but Christy finding it impossible to open her eyes until she hears her father's voice. When another neighborhood is on the evening news, and Buell's father sees the stunned faces of parents in Jonesboro or Paducah or Littleton, he finds himself hungry for any scrap of information about the families of these children who kill, hoping, as he still does with Brenda Spencer these 20 long years later, to put all the pieces together and finally make sense of it. Police SWAT team members arrested her following a 6-1/2 hour siege at the home she shared with her divorced father. By the time the country's first high-profile school shooting was over that morning, the principal and a custodian were dead, and eight children were wounded. We didnt understand why she was shooting at us, Rintoul said. I know there was a lot of turmoil in the family every time Brenda was up for parole, she said in a recent interview. Twenty-two years later, his son, Dan Barnes, also a teacher, found himself a target of Granite Hills High School shooter Jason Hoffman. After killing the schools principal and custodian and wounding eight children and a first responder, Spencer barricaded herself in her home for more than six hours until she finally surrendered herself to the authorities. When the story takes place she was 16 years old. To this day, 60-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer remains locked up in prison at the California Institution for Women in Corona. TRUE CRIME - CURRENT TRIALS, OLD or COLD CASES, In August 2009 she was again denied Parole Her next hearing won't be till 2019, 2019..Good. He does not mention Brenda Spencer by name but the connection is clear in the lyrics: And nobodys gonna go to school today/Shes going to make them stay at home.. When he saw her days later in Juvenile Hall, she was ashen, zombie-like in appearance, the lawyer said. Suchar, the custodian who died after being shot was survived by his wife and a son. Funeral Expenses for Frances. Wallace Spencer - Biography - IMDb Brenda Spencer, then aged 16, opened fire on a San Diego elementary school killing two, because she 'didn't like Mondays'. Not long after Brenda Spencer went to jail, her father married his daughter's teenage cellmate. 40 years after school shooting - PressReader Get Ready for a New Season of Gardening -Choose from Tomatoes, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias & More! Family (1) Spouse Dot Spencer (? For Christmas in 1978, her father Wallace gave her a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle.Before parole board 1999, . Not long after Brenda Spencer went to jail, Wallace Spencer, her father, married her 17-year-old cellmate. On that January day, she woke up, took the gun and, just as the school bell rang to signal the beginning of the classes, Brenda began shooting from her window at the young students who were standing outside the school. St George Island 14 Day Forecast, Spencer remains in prison despite parole hearings. He said Spencer told him things like having shot a rabbit in the back of its head from 25 yards. As the children lined up outside of the gates, Spencer took out the .22 semiautomatic rifle that shed received as a Christmas gift from her father. Her father, Wallace, still lives in the house on Lake Atlin Avenue from where Brenda took aim at the playground opposite. During the later interrogation, she was asked why she did it and responded: I just dont like Mondays.. A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer, who lived in a house across the street from the school, was convicted of the shootings. An Excerpt From The Culture Code Answer Key, One negotiator remembers promising her a Burger King Whopper before she finally came outside. [4][5][6][7] After her parents separated, she allegedly lived in poverty with her father, Wallace Spencer. Dead Files Medina, Ny House, When Brenda's parents divorced, she and her siblings stayed with their father. . "We just kind of went on with life," she says. 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.. In 2001 she accused her father of having drunkenly subjected her to beatings and sexual abuse. To this day, Cam Miller hesitates before dressing in blue. 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. Wallace Spencer was previously married to Dot Spencer. He felt cheated. One ripple outward from the shootings sent fear through a third generation in the Wragg family. Brenda Spencer's parents unsuccessfully tried to get the song banned in America. The Baffling Disappearance Of Jodi Huisentruit, The News Anchor Who Vanished Forever Just Before A Broadcast, The Disappearance Of Kristal Reisinger, The Colorado Mother Who Went Missing From A Drum Circle, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. . Spencer fired at the school for about 20 minutes and famously told a reporter who reached her by phone that she was shooting because I just dont like Mondays I did this because its a way to cheer up the day.. Her older brother helped her over a fear of guns by taking her out shooting jackrabbits when she was 11. On Monday, January 29, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer killed two people and wounded nine others when she opened fired on San Diego's Grover Cleveland Elementary School with a .22-caliber rifle from her house directly across the street from the school. He promised that a Burger King Whopper would be waiting for her. Meanwhile, San Diego police had raced to the school on reports of gunfire, children shot, then an officer wounded. Monika Selvig was shot. Brenda-Spencer - San Diego Police Historical Association Brenda Ann Spencer (born April 3, 1962) is a convicted American murderer who carried out a shooting spree from her home in San Diego, on January 29, 1979. . First, on the television news from his hospital bed, which showed police leading away a petite freckled girl with long red hair and aviator glasses. Its like the ripple in a pond that goes through generations and a community.. The community may eventually have a hard time remembering the 1979 shooting. Knowing the backstory and understanding America's issue with gun violence likely tempered the US enthusiasm. Brenda Spencer was sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment. 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. A University of Southern California professor who has studied school shootings agreed that, while they can no longer considered new, they tend to cast a wider, more significant effect on society through widespread news reporting and posts on social media sites. she deserves life but i think killing those people was a bit extreme!! Dead Files Medina, Ny House, "I have often had visions of it happening there, and think about what I'd be doing if it did happen," she allows. Brenda Spencer was born April 3rd, 1962 to her mother and father, Dorothy and Wallace Spencer. What on that day had been unimaginable -- that a school could become a killing field -- is grimly familiar. Charles "Cam" Miller, age 9 was shot. 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. Google searches can provide inform. A statement by the teenage murderer in a 1979 school - thevintagenews Lawyers say she could now make a successful parole application. At the time, she lived in a house across the street from the school. 6:15 p.m. Jan. 30, 2019A previous version of this story failed to mention that custodian Michael Suchar, who was fatally shot, was survived by a son in addition to a wife, who was mentioned in the article. Since 1979, the United States and other nations have seen a dramatic rise in the frequency of mass shootings and the casualty list. 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. PDF Brenda Spencer: Sorting Out the Contradictions The morning was unusually cold, they still remember. Then, she put the rifle down, barricaded herself inside her home, and waited. . Two saplings planted in their memory took root in the bloodstained earth and have grown into trees now, sentries that stand tall and strong over an empty playground. Unforgiven and Alone: Brenda Spencer and Secret Shame Wallace was not around much. She keeps a scrapbook of newspaper articles and photos, and still has the jacket she wore that day stashed away somewhere. Spencer's parents had divorced Brenda Ann Spencer is a convicted American spree killer who committed multiple murders from her home in San Diego, California on January 29, 1979. . Brenda Spencer | Deadly Women Wiki | Fandom See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Contribute to This Page Edit page [8], Spencer was charged as an adult and pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. . [1][10], In December, a psychiatric evaluation arranged by her probation officer recommended that Spencer be admitted to a mental hospital for depression, but her father refused to give permission. [16] Crime-scene photos contradict these accounts. He died at age 87 in 2016. Age 16, she was 5'2" (157 cm) and had bright red hair. Spencer came out of her house about 2:30 p.m., laying her .22 rifle and a pellet rifle on the ground, then boxes of ammunition. 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. Featheringill Mortuary 9631 Campo Rd, Spring Valley Send Flowers . Wallace Spencer got married to a woman younger than Spencer and had a daughter. [14], After firing thirty-six times,[12] Spencer barricaded herself inside her home for several hours. $175 raised of $7,000 goal. 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". But this argument has never swayed the parole board. "My wife saw her through the window and said, `There she is.' Her Dad, Wallace Spencer, gave her a semi-automatic .22 calibre rifle for Christmas in 1978. [9], In early 1978, staff at a facility for problem students, into which Spencer had been referred for truancy, informed her parents that she was suicidal. Brenda Spencer was born in 1962 and lived in San Diego; well, San Carlos more specifically. Brenda Spencer began shooting at 8:30. Miller decided to deliver his in person. [32], The Lifetime Movies series Killer Kids released an episode "Deadly Compulsion" depicting Spencer's crimes which first aired date in September 3, 2014. After her parents separated, she lived with her father, Wallace Spencer, in virtual poverty; they slept on a single mattress on the living room floor. Wallace Spencer is known for I Don't Like Mondays (2006). Brenda Spencer had a reputation for being a problem child who struggled with numerous health issues. Spencer house. Her father went on to marry Spencer's 17-year-old Juvenile Hall cellmate but they later divorced. Charles "Cam" Miller, age 9 was shot. Voc est aqui: Incio. "I was psyching myself up," he explains. The next victim was the schools custodian, who also attempted to bring the children to safety. But Haley Wragg, who at age 26 wasnt alive when Spencer killed her grandfather, learned as a child to fear her release from prison. The principal of the school, Burton Wragg, was killed during the attack. Hopefully these kids will get counseling." $50. Blue made him a target. ". After her parents separated, she lived with her father, Wallace Spencer, in poverty. He died at age 87 in 2016. Infamous 'I don't like Mondays' killer is inducted into the 'Golden Girls' club | Daily Mail Online. It has a very strong ripple effect; even if youre not hit by a bullet, that stays with you forever. They need to talk about their fears, he says. Early Life Brenda's parents divorced when she was young and lived with her father. 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. He was an alcoholic and verbally abusive towards Brenda. I'm not traumatized for life or anything. Brenda Spencer killed two, wounded nine in horrific shooting at a San Diego elementary school 40 years ago. Miller was one of her victims. He always remembered that day, Barnes said. Like Cam Miller, she never sought professional help to cope with the trauma's aftermath. For 20 years now, Wallace Spencer has maintained a public silence about his daughter's crime. As a person born on this date, Brenda Ann Spencer is listed in our database as the 47th most popular celebrity for the day (April 3) and the 101st most popular for the year (1962). She deserves life and no less. Brenda is the youngest child and has one older brother and one older sister. "I didn't talk about it. 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. Wragg and Suchar died; the others, including San Diego police Officer Robert Robb, survived their wounds. This is the true story of Brenda Spencer and her deadly attack. It took a few shots before students, parents, and school staff realized that someone on the opposite side of the road was using them as a target. He still has occasional nightmares about Spencer. [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.