Penn. Man Sentenced To 3 Years For Threatening School Shooting

Penn. man sentenced to 3 years for threatening school shooting < br />

2012-09-21 05:07:19 GMT+7 (ICT)

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA (BNO NEWS) -- A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Wednesday after threatening on the social networking website Facebook to go on a shooting rampage at an elementary school, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Anthony Elonis, 28, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was convicted in October 2011 of four counts of interstate communication of threats in connection with a series of postings on Facebook. Among the threats he posted were threats against his estranged wife, Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI, the Berks County Sheriff's Department and an unidentified kindergarten class.

Elonis made the threats after he lost his job at an amusement park and then finding out his wife was having an affair, who then filed a restraining order against him. But he argued his rants on Facebook were like rap lyrics and were merely a way for him to vent his frustrations.

"That's it, I've had about enough," one of the posts said. "I'm checking out and making a name for myself. Enough elementary schools in a ten mile radius to initiate the most heinous school shooting ever imagined. And hell hath no fury like a crazy man in a Kindergarten class. The only question is ... which one?"

After being visited by FBI agents, Elonis again posted a threatening message on the social networking website. "Took all the strength I had not to turn the bitch ghost," it said. "Pull my knife, flick my wrist, and slit her throat. Leave her bleedin' from her jugular in the arms of her partner."

On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence sentenced Elonis to 44 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He also ordered Elonis to have no contact with his victims and to get mental health treatment. Computer monitoring will also be a condition of release.

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