Kentucky man who killed three classmates in 1997 is denied parole, will spend the rest of his life in prison

The Kentucky man who killed three students and wounded five others in a school shooting that took place 25 years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison without opportunities to seek parole, the Kentucky Parole Board voted on Monday.

Michael Carneal, who was 14 at the time of the massacre and is now 39, told parole board members last week that he would live with his parents and continue his mental health treatment if they agreed to release him. He admitted that he still hears voices like the ones that told him to steal a neighbor's pistol and fire it into the crowded lobby of Heath High School in 1997. However, Carneal said that with therapy and medication, he has learned to control his behavior.

The board voted 7-0 to deny parole, after deliberating in private for about 30 minutes. Carneal watched the vote over Zoom from the Kentucky State Reformatory. He sat hunched in a small chair as Kentucky Parole Board Chair Ladeidra Jones asked each member for their vote.