SPOKANE, Wash. — The sentencing for the Freeman High School shooter that killed one classmate and wounded three freshman girls resumed on Monday and included testimony from a psychologist who has evaluated the shooter for four years.
In September 2017, then 15-year-old Caleb Sharpe opened fire on his Freeman High School classmates, killing one student and leaving three freshman girls seriously injured.
Sharpe pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder and second-degree assault in January of this year.
His sentencing started last week with opening statements from attorneys and expert testimony. The shooter's defense said a 20-year sentence would be appropriate due to the shooter's age and immaturity at the time of the shooting.
Prosecutors are asking for a minimum sentence of 35 years as they argue he still exhibits a lack of remorse and true understanding of what he did.
During Monday's hearing, psychologist Dr. Craig Beaver described Sharpe's home life prior to the shooting as "isolating."
“As his parents will describe, he became more and more reclusive, less and less coming out of his room," Beaver said. "Basically, cocooning himself in his room during this period.”
The defense attorney asked him about a report the school counselor made prior to the shooting. Beaver said it had major red flags that concerned him, adding that the report indicated the shooter obsessively watched videos about Columbine. The shooter also admitted he had access to guns in the house.
“I wouldn’t have let that go. That needed to be addressed aggressively," he said. "A safety plan that included getting those guns out of there and locked up should have been number one the first time they met. Didn’t happen.”
Beaver said he doesn’t understand why school staff and the shooter’s parents didn’t take diligent steps to ensure it was safe to return to school, let alone do any follow-up on the access to guns.
“Dad called up the school principal and said, 'Yeah, he’s doing great, he’s going to school.' And they go, 'Fine.' There was no formal assessment letter or report that was reviewed," he added. "There was no safety plan put into effect to monitor him closely when he was back at school to make sure everything was safe.”
The doctor also testified the shooter currently shows motivation to change and has a low risk of reoffending. When asked what kind of treatment he believed Sharpe needs to ensure the safety of the community prior to his release, Beaver said individual and group therapy.
RELATED: Doctor shares details on Freeman school shooter's upbringing, defense urges shorter prison sentence
Prosecutors are asking for a minimum sentence of 35 years as they argue he still exhibits a lack of remorse and true understanding of what he did.
The victim and expert testimony will continue through this week. Ami Strahan, the mother of Sam Strahan who died in the shooting, will also speak during the hearing.
Sharpe's parents are scheduled to read statements on Tuesday.
The judge is expected to decide on a sentence on Friday, Aug.19.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
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