Faith Kinkel, a 57-year-old female, was a Spanish teacher at Springfield High School, just as her husband, William, had been at Thurston High School before his retirement. They lived in Springfield, Oregon, and had two children, a daughter and a son. Concerns had grown over their son's fascination with weapons and increasingly erratic behavior, which had led them to seek psychological help for him. The psychologist diagnosed the boy with major depressive disorder.
Despite their initial reservations, his parents eventually purchased a. 22 caliber rifle and a 9mm Glock handgun for him, enrolling him in gun safety courses.
On the afternoon of May 20, 1998, after being suspended from Thurston High School pending an expulsion hearing for having a stolen handgun in his locker, the Kinkels' 15-year-old son, Kipland "Kip" Kinkel, murdered his father in their home. When Faith Kinkel arrived home later that day, her son met her in the garage. He told her that he loved her and then shot her twice in the back of the head, three times in the face, and once in the heart. He then dragged her body and covered it with a sheet.
The following morning, on May 21, 1998, Kip drove to Thurston High School armed with the semi-automatic rifle, two pistols, and a hunting knife. He opened fire in the school's cafeteria, killing two students and wounding 25 others. Students in the cafeteria managed to subdue him, and he was arrested at the scene. When police later searched the Kinkel family home, they discovered the bodies of both William and Faith Kinkel.
Kip Kinkel was arrested and charged with four counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 111 years in prison without the possibility of parole. During his sentencing, he apologized for killing his parents and for the school shooting. He was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
