Teen charged in deadly Lanphier High School stabbing guilty on all counts

SANGAMON COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - A teen accused of killing a student in a Lanphier High School stabbing in 2021 has been found guilty on all counts.

The teen girl faced multiple adult charges, including three charges of first-degree murder (Class M), one count of attempted first degree murder (Class X), three charges of aggravated battery (Class 3), and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (Class 4). She was indicted last April by a grand jury.

WAND News has chosen not to identify the suspect due to her age.

She was found guilty on all charges following a bench trial.

The case against the suspect was transferred to adult court on April 12, 2022. She now faces between 27 and 90 years in prison.

Sentencing is set for April 19 at 9:30 a.m.

As the case was heard in a bench trial, there was no jury. The presiding judge made the ruling after both sides rested their cases.

In the November 2021 attack at the school, 18-year-old Pierre V. Scott Jr. was killed when police said the suspect stabbed him in the chest. Another student, identified as a 16-year-old male, was wounded but survived.

The teen suspect remains in a juvenile detention center and will not be moved to the Sangamon County Jail before the age of 18, Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright said. Bond was set at $1 million.

The defense for the suspect claimed she was trying to defend herself and was carrying a knife because she walked through a dangerous neighborhood to get to school.

Police who first arrived to the scene described it as "pure chaos."

Two assistant principals and the principal of Lanphier High School spoke in court Tuesday.

When school was dismissed on the day of the stabbing, Assistant Principal Christopher Barhan chose to monitor the front of the school. That day, he said he heard a commotion happening around the buses. As he got closer, he heard students yelling, "Fight!"

He said he saw Pierre run by him but did not know he was injured at the time.

He said the suspect put a knife in her waistband, and she said, "Call who you need to call."

At that time, Barhan had turned around and saw Pierre hit the ground, and he went over to help.

Dr. Curtis Doss, the principal of the school, took the stand and shared a similar story. However, he spoke to the suspect following the incident and told her they called the police and tried to confront her about the stabbing.

He said she told him "I hope he dies," before taking off running as other students chased after her.

The other student who was stabbed, a 16-year-old Lanphier Junior at the time, recalled some of that day. His name is being withheld.

He said he had a conversation with Pierre earlier in the day. The teen could not recall much of the incident. He said he did not know the suspect had a knife and said he had not realized he had been stabbed until he looked down and heard everyone screaming.

Surveillance video from a bus was shown in the courtroom. The video shows Pierre and the second student stabbed near the bus area.

Evidence suggests that the altercation between the teens stemmed from a Snapchat video posted by the suspect. In the Snapchat video, the suspect speaks about Pierre's uncle who had recently passed away. Police on the stand said it was possible that Pierre was going to speak to the suspect regarding the video after school but that has not been proven.

The state argued that none of the teens involved displayed any aggression until the suspect lunched and stabbed Pierre. The defense argued that the boys were aggressive towards her prior to the stabbing.

In court, administrators described Pierre as a fun loving and goofy student who was not violent.

The teen suspect said she felt threatened and thought she heard someone say to "get her." She said she did not mean to hit Pierre and stabbed the second student because she claimed he lunged at her.

The State rested their case and believed the video surveillance speaks for itself of the teen suspect waiting outside school that day and that she was the aggressor by stabbing Pierre. They do not believe Pierre and the other student threatened her or were aggressive towards her. Pierre did not have a weapon. Neither did the other student.

The Defense made their closing remarks stating the teen suspect was threatened and was protecting herself. They believe the boys were using threatening words, and she had to protect herself.