Archive for the 'James Lewerke' Category

Valpo school slasher avoids prison time:

James Lewerke, the Indiana teen who was arrested for a 2004 slashing attack against his classmates, will receive no prison time. Instead for his guilty but insane plea he’ll be housed in a mental facility in Iowa until he’s 21. James is 17 at present. Then at the time of his release he’ll be on 9 years probation where he be required to undergo psychiatric treatment. This is one of the few times I agree with a mental health sentence. From what I’ve read James had legitimate mental health issues that need to be addressed and luckily he’s going to get the help he needs.

Trial Underway for Teenager Who Attacked Classmates:

A trial date has been set for James Lewerke. He’s the Valparaiso, Indiana teen who attacked his classmates with a machete. His trial is scheduled to start January 8th.

James Lewerke to remain in adult court:

James Lewerke, the Indiana teen accused of slashing 7 of his classmates with a machete, will have his case remain in adult court. Attorneys representing Lewerke motioned to have his case moved back to juvenile court after a judge ruled that he will be tried as an adult back in May. Previously Lewerke has pleaded not guilt and his attorneys will be using an insanity defense. As I mentioned before I think he actually was insane at the time of the attack and I think in this case he actually does need psychiatric help. However I think he should be tried as an adult because of the viciousness of his attack and if he were to be tried as a juvenile he might be released before any treatment could be completed.

Lewerke enters insanity plea:

For those of you who don’t remember James Lewerke was the kid from Valparaiso High School in Indiana who slashed five of his classmates with a machete and a tree saw. Luckily none of the injuries were serious and no one died. As of now he is being tried as an adult. However defense attorneys have entered an insanity plea for Lewerke. You might think I’m going to jump all over the defense attorneys on this one but you’re wrong. I think that this time it’s more than likely a legitimate defense. The reason I think that is first off I’ve heard no real motive come out of this case. No excuses made by the defense or otherwise. No bullying. No rejections. No previous behavioral problems.The only thing I’ve heard so far is some rumblings that he allegedly heard “voices from God”. So I think for once we may have a legitimate case of insanity. I’m not saying that’s 100% true but with the facts that I have at hand I don’t doubt it at this time. Also defense attorneys are trying to get the case moved back to juvenile court.

Student Slashes Five Classmates in Indiana:

I waited to do anything on this story because it happened the day before Thanksgiving and I wanted to wait until a possible motive was discussed but something else has happened to make me comment on this. For those of you that had not heard 15-year-old James Lewerke attacked 5 students at Valparaiso High School with a machete and a tree saw. Luckily none of the injuries were that serious and all those injured have been treated and released. So far the only thing the media in Indiana covering this story has talked about was security concerns at Valparaiso High School. I have yet to find one story that tries to address the problem of why James Lewerke did what he did. This also comes after a kid brought a gun to school that was used in a suicide. While security is a great concern in these issues why isn’t the reasons behind these incidents being addressed? Apparently it’s a question that the local school board needs to address.