An Indiana teen who had an “obsession” with the school shooter who murdered 17 people exactly seven years ago is accused of plotting another Valentine’s Day massacre, authorities say.
Trinity Shockley, 18, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and two terrorism-related charges, according to Morgan County court records. Shockley is charged under the name Trinity but is transgender and goes by the name Jamie, according to an affidavit. It’s unclear which pronouns Shockley uses. The teen is being held in the Morgan County Jail without bond, police said. Shockley has retained an attorney and will be held before appearing at a bond hearing Tuesday at 8 a.m
During a hearing Friday, Shockley asked the judge, “What if no one can pay my bond? How long will I be in jail?” The judge explained that if a bond was set, Shockley would remain in jail until someone paid it or until the case is decided. An affidavit says Shockley was grieving the recent death of their mother; had been bullied at school after being hit by a drunk driver; felt guilt after learning about that driver’s suicide; and became fixated by mass shooters.
The probable cause affidavit also details how the fast work of an anonymous tipster, school officials and several law enforcement agencies may have thwarted a mass tragedy. “I am incredibly grateful for the quick response of our local, state, and federal law enforcement whose actions prevented what could have been a devastating situation,” Mooresville Schools Superintendent Jake Allen said.
How authorities got tipped off
An unknown person contacted the Sandy Hook tip line Monday to say a friend had access to an AR-15 rifle, had just ordered a bulletproof vest, and admires Nikolas Cruz – the gunman who murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, officials said.
The tip included messages Shockley appears to have sent on the messaging app Discord describing plans for the shooting, according to the affidavit. One of Shockley’s targets, according to the affidavit, was their best friend. “I’m shooting him,” Shockley allegedly wrote in messages with another person. “Parkland part two,” Shockley allegedly told another Discord user. “I’ve been planning this for a YEAR.”
The FBI traced the IP address associated with the Discord account back to Shockley, the affidavit says. The FBI notified the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, which contacted the Mooresville Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday, the affidavit says.
Investigators learned Shockley, a senior at Mooresville High School, planned a mass shooting at the school on February 14 – seven years after the Valentine’s Day massacre in Parkland, according to the affidavit. Mooresville is a town of about 10,000 residents, roughly 10 miles southwest of Indianapolis. “Nothing ever happens in Mooresville. It’s a small town,” Mooresville Police Chief Kerry Buckner said.
“To think somebody was plotting to hurt a lot of individuals of kids, future leaders of this country or whoever is pretty disturbing.”
Teen professed love for the Parkland school shooter, affidavit says
Shockley visited a school counselor Tuesday “about some ongoing issues and ended up disclosing to her that she was sexually attracted to Nikolaz (sic) Cruz, the Parkland School Shooter,” the affidavit states. “Trinity spoke about how she wanted to have multiple children with Nikolaz (sic) and that she has already named the children.”
Cruz is serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole after he pleaded guilty to murdering 17 people and wounding 17 others in the deadliest mass shooting at a US high school. Shockley told the counselor about an “obsession” and sexual attraction to Cruz and showed the counselor a heart locket necklace with Cruz’s photo inside, according to the affidavit. The counselor notified the school’s administration Tuesday, “and a proactive response plan was being scheduled for prior to the next school day,” Mooresville Schools said.
Police executed a search warrant on Shockley’s home Wednesday and discovered evidence of Shockley’s fascination with mass shooters – including notebooks found in their bedroom. “I cannot stop thinking about Nikolas,” Shockley wrote, according to the affidavit. “Why must he be so far away….I love you Nikolas.”
One wall of Shockley’s bedroom was plastered with a collage of mass shooters, the affidavit said. They included photos of Dylann Roof, the white nationalist who killed nine people at a historically Black church in South Carolina; Randy Stair, who used the alias Andrew Blaze and killed three coworkers at a Pennsylvania supermarket; and Cruz.
“On Trinity’s backpack I observed three safety pin style buttons. Each button depicted one of the three murderers listed above, Dylan (sic) Roof, Nickolas Cruze (sic), and Andrew Blaze,” a detective wrote in the affidavit.
Inside Shockley’s backpack, police found notebooks with swastikas and the words “kill,” “bang,” and “I hate you all DIE DIE DIE,” the affidavit says. Police also found several AR-15 magazines, a box of .40 caliber bullets and a soft armor vest in Shockley’s father’s room, according to the affidavit. The affidavit does not say if a gun was found by police, and it’s unclear if Shockley had access to a weapon.
A mother’s death and a devastating accident
On Tuesday, Shockley “had a breakdown while at school because her mother had recently passed away,” the affidavit said. The teen “skipped two classes at the end of the day” and told a guidance counselor about the breakdown, the mother’s death and how they were “scared about” their future, a detective wrote.
Shockley spoke about Cruz at length, according to the affidavit. “She hated him for what he did and at the same time she understood what he did,” the detective wrote. “Cruz wanted to ruin Valentine’s Day and ruin the families because he did not have his own. She can relate to that because of the loss of her mom and people talking about their moms.”
Shockley also struggled with bullying and “anger issues” after being struck by a drunk driver, the affidavit said. An October 2022 Facebook post by Mooresville police shows a photo of Shockley with officers holding a large yellow poster thanking the officers who responded when Shockley was hit by a drunken driver. But after Shockley learned the driver died by suicide, the teen felt blame for his death, according to the affidavit.
Shockley had been struggling with suicidal thoughts and had sought mental health help for years, the affidavit said. While Shockley remains in custody, “a variety of mental health resources are available to all students of Mooresville Schools,” the superintendent said in a statement Friday. “Our schools should always be a place of safety, learning, and belonging. We are committed to doing everything in our power to keep our schools safe.”
