Barry Loukaitis was a teen killer who would murder three during a school shooting in Washington State
According to court documents fourteen year old Barry Loukaitis would enter the Frontier Middle School in Moses Washington on February 2, 1996 heavily armed
Barry Loukaitis would walk into his algebra classroom and fatally shoot Arnold Fritz and Manuel Vela Jr., both of which were fourteen years old. Loukaitis would shoot another student who thankfully would survive their injuries. Barry would then fatally shoot his algebra teacher Leona Caires.
Barry Loukaitis would be subdued by another teacher and held until police arrived
Barry Loukaitis would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, and 16 counts of aggravated kidnapping. He would be sentenced to two life sentences plus two hundred odd years. Later his sentence would be reduced to 189 years in prison
Barry Loukaitis Today
Ethnicity Unknown
Aliases BARRY DALE LOUKAITIS
ID Number771***
Custody Status Date Oct 08, 2021 08:37 PM PDT
Custody StatusIn Custody
Custody Detail Clallam Bay Corrections Center
Book Date Oct 10, 1997 12:00 AM PDT
Location
Clallam Bay Corrections Center
Barry Loukaitis Case
For the first time, a young man who killed three people in a school shooting in Moses Lake says he’s sorry for what happened; he also dispelled long-standing myths about why he opened fire that day at Frontier Junior High.
Barry Loukaitis was 14 years old in 1996 when he opened fire on his math class. He killed his teacher, Leona Caires, and two students, Manuel Vela and Arnold Fritz. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, juveniles cannot be sentenced to an indefinite prison term, so Loukaitis will be resentenced next week.
“I dragged the victims, their families, the Court, and the community through a painful and expensive process,” wrote Loukaitis, who is now at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell awaiting sentencing. “I am almost as ashamed of my decision to undergo a trial as I am of my decision to commit the shooting itself. While I cannot undo the past, I have control of what I do now. I would prefer to be respectful rather than self-serving.”
Loukaitis, now 36, continued, “I’ve never apologized for what I’ve done. I didn’t because I feared that after trying to apologize after doing something so terrible would only add insult to injury. If that feeling was wrong, I’m sorry for not speaking before. I’m sorry for denying people what they deserve to hear.”
Loukaitis apologizes to each victim, reflecting on what their life could have been had he not carried out his murderous act. Among those reflections, he said Arnie Fritz and Manuel Vela “could have created something. They could have cured diseases or invented things.” He said teacher Leona Caires “made the world better… she should have been there to watch and help her family grow.”
He also credits the other students and staff who helped to stop the shooting and attend to the victims.
Then, took time to dispel a rumor of what caused him to go off that day. He said Manuel Vela was never physically abusive to him, despite long-standing explanations that it was the cause of the shooting.
“Manuel Vela’s father told me I’m not fit to tie his son’s shoes,” Loukaitis wrote. “He’s correct. Manuel Vela was a better person than I am, and I know it.”
Loukaitis described his younger self as hostile and rude. He apologized to his community, saying “it was at its best when I was at my worst.”
He apologized to the investigators and prosecutors who worked on his case, saying, “You all had jobs to do and you did them well, but you never should have had to do them. None of this should have happened.” He apologized to the judge, who once said this is the case that kept him up at night.
Arnie Fritz’s sisters issued a joint statement in response to Barry’s letter. “We are relieved to read that Barry is taking responsibility for his actions. We’ve waited a very long time to hear those words. We are also reminded, some 20 years later, of the far-reaching impact this tragedy has on every person involved, including Barry. We hope the hearing brings closure to everyone involved.”
At least some of the victims’ families are expected in court next week when prosecutors recommend a 189 year sentence.
21 years later, Moses Lake school shooter says “I’m sorry” | Local News | kxly.com
