Conviction
Because of the severity of her crime, Spencer was tried as an adult. She had mentioned the attacks months before: "One of these mornings, you're gonna look for me", "No one understands me", "You don't have to wait very long to see what is going on with me". Neither her parents nor her friends paid heed to these statements. She pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. She was sentenced to prison for 25 years to life. She is currently at the California Institution for Women in Chino, California. After becoming eligible for parole in 1993, Spencer was denied four times, the last on August 13, 2009, during her 30th year of incarceration. Spencer will not be eligible for a new parole hearing until 2019.
In 1993, Spencer claimed that she had been under the influence of drugs (PCP and alcohol) when she opened fire, adding that the state and her attorney conspired to hide her drug test results. Both former prosecutor Charles Patrick and Spencer's attorney Michael McGlinn vehemently denied that any evidence had been hidden in her case.
At a parole hearing in 2001, Spencer claimed that her violence was a result of an abusive home life in which her father beat and sexually abused her. The parole board's chairman, Brett Granlund, expressed doubt about Spencer's allegations, saying that Spencer had never discussed the allegations with counselors.
Read more about this topic: Brenda Ann Spencer
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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