Eric Houston

Mass Murderer

Eric Houston and the Lindhurst High School Massacre (1992)

Overview of the Crime

On May 1, 1992, 20-year-old Eric Christopher Houston, a former student at Lindhurst High School in Olivehurst, California, entered the school armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle. Prior to the attack, on April 30, he contacted the school principal, threatening to “shoot up a school rally” scheduled for the next day, leading to the cancellation of the pep rally. Houston, who reportedly held a grudge against his former civics teacher Robert Brens for giving him a failing grade, burst into the school around 2:40 p.m., opened fire—killing one teacher and three students—and wounded others. After moving through classrooms and hallways, he took about 80 students hostage and held them for around eight hours before surrendering to police.

Legal Outcome and Appeals

Houston was found guilty of multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault with a firearm, and false imprisonment. On September 21, 1993, he was sentenced to death. In 2012, the California Supreme Court upheld his death sentence. In November 2023, Houston filed a new appeal, arguing that he has a developmental disability—which, under U.S. law, could bar execution—and seeking to have his death sentence changed to life without parole. That petition is currently pending litigation.

Victims of the Shooting

Below is a bullet-list with names, ages (when available), dates, and roles or relationships: - Robert Brens, teacher (civics/history teacher who had failed Houston in class); shot and killed upon Houston’s entry into the school, May 1, 1992. - Judy Marion Davis, student, age 17; killed in the classroom with Brens on May 1, 1992. - Jason Edward White, student, age 19; fatally shot in the hallway outside that classroom on May 1, 1992. - Beamon Aton Hill, student, age 16; died shielding a fellow female student (Angela Welch) from being shot, taking the gunshot to the side of his head, on May 1, 1992. - Additional victims and injured: Houston wounded nine students and one teacher, and held over 80 students hostage for approximately eight hours, surrendering later that evening. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Robert Brens 28 yr old Male

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1992 Lindhurst High School shooting - Wikipedia

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