Suspect in Alaskan school stabbings ignores judge
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, May 8 (Reuters) - A man arrested for allegedly slashing the throats of four Anchorage children outside their school refused to answer a judge's questions at a court hearing on Tuesday, then urged onlookers to kill themselves and their children.
Jason Pritchard, 33, was arraigned in state Superior Court on four charges of attempted murder and four charges of first-degree assault.
He did not respond when addressed during his first court appearance after the attack, and court officers strapped him into his chair after he tried several times to stand up and walk away.
When he started shouting, they took him out of the room.
"Kill the young children. Kill yourself," he said as he was taken away. "Kill the young children first, then kill yourself."
Pritchard was arrested after an attack at Mountain View Elementary School before classes started Monday morning.
He is accused of attacking children who were in the playground and lining up for breakfast service offered to low-income families.
Four boys, 7 to 9 years old, received life-threatening stabs in the neck, the Anchorage Police Department said. They were sent to local hospitals and some were listed, at one point, in critical condition.
Pritchard was cornered in the school by teachers, and police using rubber bullets subdued him.
As of late Monday, two of the boys had been released from the hospital, one was listed in serious condition, and one was listed in fair condition, according to television reports.
Pritchard has a long history of psychiatric problems, according to the charging document filed by the state Department of Law.
He has a history of stalking and threatening children, with incidents reported in the Kenai Peninsula, according to the document. He also has a history of drunk and reckless driving, according to the document.
Pritchard has had religious delusions and tried to castrate himself to make himself more pure, according to the document.
He has argued repeatedly that children should be killed to protect them from sin.
According to the document, Pritchard had been a practicing member of the Jehovah's Witnesses but was excommunicated for visiting massage parlors.
22:00 05-08-01"
FOLLOW UP
Man Arraigned for Stabbing Children
By MARY PEMBERTON
.c The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A man charged with slashing the throats of four children at their elementary school screamed ``Kill the young children. Kill yourself'' after a court appearance Tuesday.
Jason Pritchard, 33, had refused to answer questions during his arraignment on four counts each of first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault. All four children survived.
``Are you Mr. Pritchard? Well, I'm told that you are,'' District Judge Natalie Finn said. ``Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you hear me?''
Pritchard, who was not represented by a lawyer, did not respond. But as the hearing ended and Pritchard was led from the court, police had to restrain him as he yelled:
``Kill the young children. Kill yourself. Kill the young children first, then kill yourself.''
Pritchard is charged with stabbing the children Monday as they were waiting at Mountain View Elementary School for the school's breakfast program to begin. He dropped the knife and was arrested after police shot him three times with bean bag projectiles, authorities said.
Police searched the area around Pritchard's car and found a handwritten note entitled, ``Remember Columbine,'' prosecutors said.
``Also you must have the faith that killing little children is their only hope and don't you be afraid of wicked people killing you and sending you to meet God & Jesus,'' the note said, according to authorities.
Cody Brown, 7, was in serious condition and Stephan Hansell, 8, was in fair condition after receiving 34 stitches. Eric Moy, 9, and Billy Moy, 8, were released from the hospital Tuesday.
``I get the impression it was for shock value. It seems he's doing this crazy act,'' said Keith Leonard, grandfather of the Moy brothers, after Pritchard's outburst Tuesday.
The children's grandmother, Wilma Leonard, said Pritchard needed psychiatric treatment.
``He's got some severe problems. He needs help,'' she said.
Pritchard was being held on $2 million cash bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
Authorities say that when police arrived at the school, teacher Jeff Harriman was standing between Pritchard and Hansell, who was lying on the floor bleeding. Harriman was using a student desk to keep Pritchard away from the boy.
An officer helped the teacher and the boy flee the room. As the officers kept Pritchard at gunpoint, he was talking about sending ``his little brothers and sisters to Jehovah,'' according to the court documents.
Pritchard, who was born in Eugene, Ore., apparently was living in his car at the time of Monday's attacks. He had been arrested 13 times since 1994 on charges that include assault, stalking, criminal trespassing and driving while intoxicated, police said. He used the Southcentral Counseling Center in Anchorage as a mailing address.
AP-NY-05-09-01 0055EDT