Here’s where the Rigby Middle School shooter is today
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RIGBY — The 12-year-old girl who shot two students and a custodian at Rigby Middle School on May 6, 2021, could be in the custody of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections until she turns 19.
That information comes from newly unsealed court documents that reveal the charges and outcome of the case against the juvenile shooter, whom EastIdahoNews.com is not identifying because of her age.
Those documents were part of a public records lawsuit EastIdahoNews.com filed earlier this year. Until this spring, much of the information about the shooting and events that day were off-limits to the public. But in April, District Judge Stevan H. Thompson ruled in favor of our request and ordered the release of investigative documents related to the shooting.
Read more about what happened on the day of the shooting here.
Last week, Magistrate Judge Stephen J. Clark ordered the release of some court documents related to the case.
“The court concludes that this was an exceptional event. … To state the obvious, the public has a right to access information concerning an exceptional event,” Clark wrote.
However, Clark also addressed the importance of protecting the privacy of the victims and the juvenile. As such, the documents were released with the names of everyone except law enforcement redacted.
The court documents reveal that the juvenile shooter was charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder. But there was no trial as the shooter entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to all three charges.
The child was then committed to the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections until her 19th birthday or until the Custody Review Board deems her rehabilitated. If the Custody Review Board does not deem her rehabilitated by her 19th birthday, she could be held until she is 21.
After she is released, she will be on probation for 36 months.
Jefferson County Prosecutor Mark Taylor tells EastIdahoNews.com that this was the best possible outcome given the law. He said he considered having the case moved to adult court but regardless, it was clear that the juvenile shooter would only be incarcerated until she was an adult.
As a result, Taylor decided to focus on how they could best rehabilitate the shooter to minimize the threat after she was released. To do that, he opted to keep the case in juvenile court because the Department of Juvenile Corrections is more focused on rehabilitating the incarcerated than the adult Department of Correction.
“Juvenile correction is all about rehabilitation and helping these people get what they need in order to no longer be a threat to themselves or society,” Taylor said. “Knowing that she was going to get out of jail while still a young adult, regardless of the court, it became very clear that the juvenile system was where we needed to stay.”
Taylor says his office has checked on the shooter, and she is getting the best help possible.
No one was killed in the May 6, 2021 attack, and all three victims recovered from their gunshot wounds.