GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio — More than a year after he was arrested on allegations he brought a gun to West Geauga High School with a plan to harm other students, Brandon Morrissette was back in court Wednesday morning where he was sentenced to serve eight to 12 years in prison.
In addition to being credit for time served in the amount of 399 days, the judge also said Morrissette will be subject to a term of five years post-release control.
The punishment comes after Morrissette -- who was 18 at the time of his arrest -- entered a guilty plea back in March to charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a deadly weapon in a school safety zone.
“I understand that you were depressed, and I understand that you were in a horrible place after losing your mom," said Judge Carolyn Paschke as she presided over the hearing at Geauga County Common Pleas Court. "I’m not unsympathetic to the situation you were in, and I believe and understand that you were in a really bad place. But we did have two evaluations from two psychologists who said that you knew the wrongfulness of your actions. This was not a snap, spur-of-the-moment decision. The evidence demonstrates that you had a plan. You’ve pled guilty to attempted murder.”
During his statement to the court prior to sentencing, however, Morrissette said he had no plans to hurt anybody that day other than himself.
We streamed the entire sentencing hearing live on YouTube, which you can watch in full below:
"He admitted to using prior calculation and design in developing a plan to cause harm to students at West Geauga High School on April 3," Chester Township Police Chief Craig Young said last year after Morrissette’s arrest. "He further acknowledged that the firearm seized by law enforcement on Monday (April 3, 2023) was the weapon he intended to use to inflict that harm."
MORE COMMENTS FROM THE JUDGE
"Regardless of whether we believe the version that you were going to just hurt yourself or whether we believe the version that you planned a shooting, it’s clear that you did have the intent to use that gun in the school," she continued. "Once again, based on what was found in the videos on your phone, based on the fact that you took three fully loaded magazines, the evidence does show that you planned to carry out a school shooting. You may have wavered back and forth, but at least that was a plan."
She said that while nobody was physically harmed by his actions that day, it can't be said that nobody was hurt.
"The entire community was terrorized. When that shelter-in-place occurred, it was terrifying for the students, it was terrifying for the faculty and staff, it was terrifying for their parents and families. Some of the responding officers that responded that day were some of the same ones that had to respond to Chardon High School. You can’t say no harm was done to them. Your conduct in establishing this plan and taking action to carry it out has to be taken seriously, and the sentence has to reflect the seriousness of that matter."
MORISSETTE'S STATEMENT
Moments before the judge addressed the court, Morrissette offered an apology.
“I would like to start off by saying that I am truly and sincerely sorry for my actions," he said. "I did not mean to scare you all, and I’m sorry for that. I also did not intend to cause any harm to anyone whatsoever. I only had the intention of harming myself. However, I do take full responsibility in my actions and what I did was not right at all. At the time, I wasn’t right mentally and I was going through a lot. I was still having trouble processing my mother’s death from cancer in 2020. I have always had mental health issues when it comes to depression and anxiety. I was bullied when I was in middle school, and I’ve always had self-esteem issues. Many times I’ve thought about suicide, and some of those times I’ve tried. I’m not telling you these issues about my life to make excuses, but in the hopes that you can know me better and why I felt the way I did. In no way, shape or form am I the same person as I was before. I am now doing everything in my power to be a different person."
He said he has been taking classes to make himself better as well.
"I would like to continue to better my mental health when I am in the real world," Morrissette continued. "I do not want to go back to the old person I was. I want to better myself and accomplish my goals, have a family and hopefully maybe even join the military. I am not a bad person. All my life I’ve been good. I have never got into trouble with the law or got into any fights. I am a kind and helpful person and truly care for others. I just wish you were all able to know me as a better person and not the one I was during the dark time I went through. Please have mercy on me and please forgive me for what I’ve done. I promise if you give me a second chance, I will do whatever it takes to turn my life around. Thank you for your time.”
For anyone considering suicide, help is available 24/7 by calling 988. Additional resources are available here.
MORE DETAILS OF THE CASE
A fellow student, who was identified as Casey Orloski, was hailed as a hero in this case after reporting he found a bullet in the bathroom.
"I was scared that someone was going to use that bullet during the school day, and that's why I went up to the school resource officer," Casey told 3News last year.
You can watch our interview with Casey in the video below:
PREVIOUS COVERAGE FROM 3NEWS...
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