Indiana transgender student pleads guilty in school shooting plot
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A transgender high school student accused of plotting a Valentine’s Day mass shooting in Indiana has reached a plea deal, pleading guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
Trinity J. Shockley, 18, was charged in February in Morgan Superior Court with conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of intimidation to commit a terrorist act.
Shockley identifies as a transgender man and is often referred to as Jamie or Dex, according to authorities.
Court records show a plea deal was submitted Friday during a hearing Monday in which Shockley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, a Level 2 felony. As part of the agreement, two intimidation charges were dropped. The announcement of the sentence will be made on November 24 at 10:15.
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Trinity Shockley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder on October 24, 2025. (Morgan County Jail)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Morgan County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.
Under Indiana law, a person convicted of a Level 2 crime faces between 10 and 30 years in prison. The Indianapolis Star reported that Shockley’s attorney asked for no more than 12.5 years in prison and up to five years of supervised release.
As part of the probation, Shockley is required to meet with mental health professionals, is prohibited from searching for school shooting content, and is prohibited from entering school property in Morgan County.
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Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is sworn in during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel, via AP, Pool)
Shockley’s alleged plot to attack Mooresville High School was discovered when the FBI in Indianapolis received a tip and contacted the Mooresville Metropolitan Police Department, authorities said. The FBI later said it “quickly coordinated” with local authorities to investigate.
The tip indicated that Shockley was planning an attack, had access to an AR-15 rifle, and ordered a bulletproof vest. It was also stated that Shockley was in love with Nikolas Cruz, who carried out the 2018 Parkland school shooting on Valentine’s Day.
A search of Shockley’s home by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department uncovered a “shrine” to recent mass shooters, including Cruz, Dylann Roof, who killed nine people at a Charleston church, and Ethan Crumbley, who carried out the 2021 Oxford High School shooting in Michigan. Shockley also kept a photo album and buttons with the shooters’ faces, court documents said.
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Investigators found notebooks in which Shockley described himself as “Dex… a transgender male” [who has] Lots of homicidal thoughts.”
“These thoughts never seem to stop, you may believe I’m a fringe lord, but in reality I’m just a loser,” Shockley wrote in a Dec. 16, 2024, post, according to court documents. “I’m grateful for the chance to live, but I’m afraid of actually living. Are you asking this from the government? No. This is the harsh reality of living with piece(s)… I hope the person reading this will appreciate it and maybe use it for your own massacre. :)”
In January, Shockley wrote that he wanted to harm others and said people should be “killed” and “erased from humanity.”
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Authorities also uncovered Discord and Snapchat messages in which Shockley, using the pseudonym “Crazy Nikolaz,” described his plans for “Parkland part two” and said, “I’ll be honest. I came close to shooting mine. I have an AR-15.”
Investigators said Shockley planned to carry out the attack around noon because that would “offer the most target-rich environment.”
Shockley later told police the plan was a joke, according to court documents.
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“[Shockley] stated that [Shockley] I wanted to recreate [what] Cruz did it though [Shockley] “I will never do such a thing,” the documents read. “This was said in anger. [Shockley] Trying to get help on this matter. [Shockley] I wanted to be homeschooled because of how bad the thoughts had gotten…”
Shockley also told police he was bullied after being struck by a suspected drunk driver in September 2022. The crash left Shockley with a skull fracture and brain injuries, according to a WRTV report.
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Detectives wrote that Shockley requested mental health support from the school district, but that request was denied by Shockley’s father, who “did not believe in mental health treatment,” according to a school official.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
