Teen convicted of Mass. school stabbing gets sentenced to life in prison without parole

Teen convicted of Mass. school stabbing gets life

WOBURN, Mass. — The lawyer for a teenager convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing another student to death at their suburban Boston high school asked a judge Friday to strike down the state law that requires a life sentence without parole for his client, who was 16 at the time of the killing.

The motion came as John Odgren, now 19, was formally sentenced in Middlesex Superior Court. The sentencing came one day after a jury rejected a defense argument that he was legally insane when he stabbed James Alenson, 15, to death in a bathroom at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School on Jan. 19, 2007.

Members of the Alenson family filed victim impact statements with Judge Jane Haggerty, but the statements were not read in court.

Though a juvenile at the time, prosecutors tried Odgren as an adult under the state’s youthful offender law. His conviction of first-degree murder carried an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole, meaning he must spend the rest of his life in prison barring a successful appeal or commutation by a future governor.

“It’s crazy that Massachusetts is one of the few places on the globe where someone who commits a crime as a child is sentenced to life in prison without parole,” Odgren’s attorney, Jonathan Shapiro, said following the sentencing.

Shapiro asked Haggerty to declare that the automatic life sentence violated the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

The judge said she would consider the motion later.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone would not comment directly on Shapiro’s motion, but he said the trial was fair.

Prosecutors portrayed Odgren as a calculating killer who brought a carving knife to school, picked his victim at random and stabbed Alenson multiple times, the fatal wound puncturing the boy’s heart.

The defense said Odgren suffered from Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and mental illnesses. They cited his fascination with Stephen King’s series of books, “The Dark Tower,” and said he had lost touch with reality.

Odgren’s father testified that his son, who had a genius-level IQ, was anxious and would not socialize with other children. He was teased and harassed at various schools he attended and talked of suicide at age 9, his father said.

Shapiro said his client would cling to a stuffed bunny during recesses at the trial.

“When he was first arrested, the only thing he wanted when he was put in his cell was his teddy bear or his rabbit,” Shapiro said. “Three years later, those are things that comfort him. Unfortunately, they are not allowed in prison.”

Odgren buried his head in a coat and did not look up during the brief sentencing hearing.

Shapiro said he feared for the teen’s well-being in prison and would push for him to receive mental health treatment. He said if Odgren had trouble coping at school, he would almost certainly have trouble coping in prison.

Odgren will begin his sentence at the state’s maximum-security prison in Walpole.

Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the state Correction Department, said Odgren would be evaluated before it was determined at what facility he should serve his sentence. He will also undergo a full medical and mental health assessment, she said.

Alenson’s parents declined to comment after sentencing. They have filed a lawsuit against the consultant for the special needs program at Lincoln-Sudbury, saying the program should not have allowed Odgren to go into an open school setting because he had a history of violent behavior against other students.

Leone said the case should lead to discussions about school safety. Following the conviction Thursday, he said there were “red flags” and warning signs that were either missed or unheeded, but he would not specifically say whom he blames.