The last time we checked in on our favorite pair of Indiana columbiners, one of them, John L Schultz IV, had just been sentenced to time served and three years probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. This was after his cohort Donald V. Robin Jr. was sentenced to 17-years behind bars with six years suspended after also pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. The problem here is that part of Robin’s plea agreement was that he would testify against Schultz.
However, a little backstory first. The pair was arrested in 2020 for allegedly plotting an attack against area high schools in the Rochester, Indiana, area. They were also columbiners, which means they had an unhealthy obsession with Columbine. They both had Columbine inspired tattoos and even referred to themselves as Reb and Vodka. Those are the nicknames that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold gave themselves prior to the Columbine shooting.
Since Schultz got a slap on the wrist while Robin was sentenced to eleven years, I said that if I had made a plea deal to testify against someone, and they got a much more lenient sentence, I would be pissed. Now, keep in mind that Schultz’s first trial ended in a mistrial, so prosecutors were probably happy just to get a guilty plea out of Schultz. But in doing so, they opened the door for Robin to get a reduced sentence.
Last month, Robin petitioned the court for a reduced sentence. Even the prosecutor and investigating detective advocated for a reduced sentence for Robin. To be fair, by all reports that I’ve seen, Robin has cleaned up his life since his arrest. Later that month, Robin was released after having his sentence modified to four years of home detention and three years probation. That’s still more than Schultz received, but at least Robin is no longer behind bars.
Personally, I’m less concerned about Robin and more concerned about Schultz. As I said in my last post, Schultz was said to have responded well to the regimented structure of prison while awaiting trial. My main concern is whether he will receive a comparable amount of regiment while on the outside. Then again, I can only think of a handful of individuals who went on to reoffend after being convicted of a school shooting or plot after serving their time.
Essentially, the odds of one of them re-offending are low, but they’re never zero.
(Sources)
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 