Back in April, I wrote about Braeden Phillips, the 20-year-old wannabe columbiner who wanted to stage his own massacre at State College Area High School on April 21, the day after Columbine’s 26th anniversary. He had the fantasy mapped out like every other loser who thinks Eric Harris was some kind of role model. Bombs in bathrooms, a hit list, and the whole thing kicking off at 8:40 a.m. by the main staircase for maximum chaos. He got stopped because someone at a youth community center tipped off police, and he’s been sitting in jail since.

Now, he’s out.

Phillips was sentenced this week in a Centre County courtroom. Thanks to a plea deal, he’s walking free after serving 165 days, the exact time he already spent behind bars. In exchange, he pleaded guilty to one count of terroristic threats, a third-degree felony. The conspiracy to commit murder charge? Dropped. The unlawful possession of a firearm charge? Dropped.

The punishment now is five years of probation under what officials are calling “intense supervision.” The conditions are no weapons, no hanging around schools, no contact with witnesses, and mandatory mental health evaluation and treatment. Basically, a leash. Whether it’s a short leash or a frayed one remains to be seen.

Authorities are now saying their investigation didn’t find evidence he was actively preparing to follow through on his threats. Which raises the obvious question of if he wasn’t serious, why was he deemed an “extreme danger to the community” back in April? Why did the complaint spell out bombs, guns, and a hit list? Did the case collapse under its own weight, or was this the best the DA thought they could get in front of a jury?

What’s clear is this. A guy who idolized Columbine enough to mark the date, sketch out the plan, and talk about carrying it out just got handed probation. Maybe the evidence wasn’t airtight. Maybe the witnesses got shaky. But the system just let a self-proclaimed school shooter mimic Eric Harris for months, then called it “terroristic threats” and sent him home.

Columbiners don’t need more signals that the culture is willing to excuse them. They don’t need more headlines that reduce their obsession to a “threat.” They need consequences. Real ones. Because if Phillips wasn’t truly planning to act, he’s still someone who fantasized about killing kids in his hometown. And if he was, then we just watched another would-be shooter slip through the cracks.

(Source)

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