Michael Carneal was a 14-year-old freshman when he killed three and wounded five of his peers at Heath Middle School who had gathered for a prayer meeting before school in December 1997. Carneal said the voices had incited the violence, telling the court he “heard in my head doing certain things, but I should have known that stealing guns … would lead to something terrible.” Now on parole, Carneal says he apologizes for his rage and has received extensive therapy, but still hears the demonic voices. The voices even told him to jump off the stairs two days earlier, he confessed. Carneal’s inmate file lists his mental health prognosis as “poor” and states he continues to experience paranoid thoughts with violent images, parole board chairwoman Ladeidra Jones told the meeting. Carneal told the panel that he has learned to ignore the voices and images, which he hasn’t played in years. Carneal was a 14-year-old freshman at the time of the shooting in 1997. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal via APCarneal admitted he still hears voices urging him to take violent action. Stephen Lance Dennee/The Paducah Sun via APT Three people were killed in the shooting and five others were injured. Steve Nagy/The Paducah Sun via AP “It doesn’t have to be a big deal,” he said. “Every little thing you do affects someone. It could be listening to someone, carrying something. I would like to do something in the future that could contribute to society.” Carneal was sentenced to life in prison but was guaranteed a chance for parole after 25 years, the maximum sentence allowed at the time given his age. The two-person panel did not reach a unanimous decision and referred his case to the full state board, which will meet Monday to decide whether to grant his parole request, postpone it to a later date or whether Carneal must spend the rest of his life in prison. By postal cables
