Brenda Spencer's Deadly 'I Don’t Like Mondays' Shooting Shocks California in 1979

Canyoubackupjustabit on August 27th, 2025 at 00:03 UTC »

I wouldn't even know about this if not for the Boomtown Rats

blazelet on August 27th, 2025 at 00:14 UTC »

The Cleveland Elementary School shooting took place on January 29, 1979, at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, United States.\1])#citenote-1)[\2])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Elementary_School_shooting(San_Diego)#cite_note-2) The principal) and a custodian were killed; eight children and a police officer were injured. A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer, who lived in a house across the street from the school, was convicted of the shootings. 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. As of 2025, she is still in prison.

night-shark on August 27th, 2025 at 00:40 UTC »

At later parole hearings, she claimed to have been subject to "total neglect" from her mother and sexual abuse from her father. The accusations have been disputed by the respective parents.

....

In December 1978, prior to the shooting, while she was still on probation for breaking into the school, a psychiatric evaluation arranged by her probation officer recommended that Spencer be admitted to a mental hospital for depression). Her father refused to give permission. For Christmas 1978, he gave her a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle with a telescopic sight and 500 rounds of ammunition.\6])#citenote-MJ-6)[\7])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Elementary_School_shooting(SanDiego)#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBöcklerSeegerSitzerHeitmeyer2013257-7) Spencer later said, "I asked for a radio and got a rifle." Asked why he had done that, she answered, "He bought the rifle so I would kill myself."[\14])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Elementary_School_shooting(San_Diego)#cite_note-14)

Then...from a newspaper article in 1980...

Sniper’s dad weds teen

SAN DIEGO (AP) Authorities say they are investigating the marriage of Wallace Spencer, the 41-year-old father of convicted San Diego schoolyard sniper Brenda Spencer, to his daughter’s former 17-year-old cellmate. ... Spencer met the girl when visiting his daughter in Juvenile Hall.

Jesus fucking christ. Yeah, I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say she was probably not lying about the abuse and neglect. I can't believe that piece of shit wasn't charged, himself.