A US man who killed both his parents and two high school students when he was just 15 has finally broken his silence more than two decades later.
Kip Kinkel, who is now 38, gave his first ever interview to the HuffPost in which he revealed he feels 'tremendous, tremendous shame and guilt' for what he did in 1998.
As well as feeling guilt for his crimes, Kinkel told HuffPost he also felt guilty due to the impact his actions had had on young offenders; as his case is often used as an argument against reforms for young offenders.
Kinkel, who is serving 111 years, killed both his parents, before going into Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, and opening fire - killing 16-year-old Ben Walker and 17-year-old Mikael Nickolauson.
Advert
He then went on to injure 25 students before he was eventually subdued and arrested.
Appearing in court, he pleaded guilty as he was still in denial about his recent paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis and he wanted the case resolved as quickly as possible.
He was sentenced to 111 years and eight months in prison for his crimes.
Kinkel says he was living with undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the crimes and had heard voices in his head since he was 12.
He also revealed he became obsessed with knives and guns and convinced the US government and Walt Disney Co had implanted a microchip inside his head.
Advert
This is the first time he's spoken publicly about his crimes, having previously refused to speak to the press to avoid causing more trauma to his victims and their families.
Kinkel has decided to speak out now in the hopes of helping young offenders get a second chance.
He told HuffPost: "I have responsibility for the harm that I caused when I was 15.
"But I also have responsibility for the harm that I am causing now as I'm 38 because of what I did at 15."
Kinkel went on to say that his 'world blew up' after he was caught with an illegal handgun at school and was facing not only expulsion but also a felony charge.
Advert
The day after he was found with the weapon, Kinkel killed his parents and the day after that he went into school with a plan to 'kill everybody'.
He added: "I feel tremendous, tremendous shame and guilt for what I did.
"I hate the violence that I'm guilty of."
Attorneys working on behalf of Kinkel filed a petition in the federal court earlier this year, arguing that his guilty plea was not made voluntarily as he had been off his medication for weeks.
Advert
They also argued that 'sentencing a juvenile to die in prison because they suffer from a mental illness is a violation of the Eighth Amendment'.
Featured Image Credit: PA