Who is JT and What about him?
Just like CN in my former classroom, JT is a young child for whom a school district had concerns about his behaviors since he was in kindergarten. Unlike, CN in my former class, in 1998, JT pulled off trying to kill his teacher on January 6, 2023. He succeeded in leaving a bullet permanently lodged close to the heart of his first grade teacher after pulling the trigger in front of his classmates (in a classroom with no solid walls. The school had safe rooms in times of emergencies.)
My classroom could have been the scene of a similar event but it was not. My story is in detail in my book. The circumstances are still timely since two trials were recently held regarding the actions of JT. JT’s teachers faced very serious circumstances in reporting and dealing with their violent student. I could connect dots. The law could also in JT’s life. The teacher won a civil case, asking for a $40 million dollar award in the fall of 2025 and was awarded a civil judgement of $10 million per a jury decision. The State of Virginia jailed the mother and she lost custody. The State of Virginia thought a criminal case was warranted. A grand jury was convened and a trial was scheduled. The Grand Jury Report from 2024 outlines a lot of information.
The Grand Jury report did not indict the 6 year old. He was too young. Based on their findings, the Grand Jury did indict the VP, EP, and found fault with many security measures at the school.
On May 18, 2026, a jury was selected and on May 19, 2026,, the jury trial began. Suddenly, on May 20, 2026, the trial was dismissed unilaterally by the judge. Evidently the 8 counts regarding the children did not meet the judges definition of criminal.
SO, what about JT? Although I have no empathy for his actions, we know what angry children can do, wasn’t he a danger to himself?
BUT, didn’t the VP have a responsibility to protect JT from harming himself? He was not listed as one of the 8 counts. His mother or custodial guardian was not called to testify by the prosecutors. The defense attorneys did not give an iota to the children’s rights. Other than the teacher, the most serious non physical trauma is actually being suffered by JT. Was the VP really protecting JT by ignoring nor acting proactively to the staff concerns? Why wasn’t he listed as a child in the indictment against the VP?
The Grand Jury Report May explain about JT and the VP’s concern for safety. The teacher almost paid with her life. JT will never have a normal life. And as for the other children, well, the Judge did not care about their rights either. The prosecutor said in opening statements, the trial was about the children. Was it?
What about JT? What about Justice for all?
Read the Grand Jury Report in the link. Watch the short, dismissed trial on one of the many YouTube channels, like Court TV. And pray that your children’s school districts are prepared for prevention. The stakes are life changing when they are not.
https://www.wavy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Full-Report-2024-opt-1.pdf
Marian R. Carlino
May 25, 2026