Ely Serna still cannot clearly explain why he took a 12-gauge shotgun to West Liberty-Salem High School on Jan. 20, 2017, and fired six shots, nearly killing Logan Cole.
Ely Serna speaks with his attorney Dennis Lieberman during a break in Wednesday sentencing hearing. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | JOEL E. MAST)
Ely Serna still cannot clearly explain why he took a 12-gauge shotgun to West Liberty-Salem High School on Jan. 20, 2017, and fired six shots, nearly killing Logan Cole.
“I can’t say I was angry about anyone or anything,” the 18-year-old told Champaign County Common Pleas Court Judge Nick A. Selvaggio during a four-hour sentencing hearing Wednesday.
Judge Selvaggio questioned Serna hoping to determine a motive for the shooting which also injured Adam Schultz and emotionally scarred the West Liberty-Salem community at large.
Champaign County Common Pleas Court Judge Nick Selvaggio listens to Logan Cole.
Serna, who was sentenced to 23 1/2 years in prison, has been analyzed by five psychiatrists or psychologists since his arrest, the judge noted in court.
He also attempted suicide while in custody and was committed to a mental health facility for treatment.
But details continue to seep out with some information unknown to mental health professionals until Wednesday hearing.
Judge Selvaggio said none of the doctors who interviewed Serna knew that the defendant had beaten animals to death with stones and two-by-fours between the ages of 9 and 15.
A court investigator learned of the animal abuse while preparing a pre-sentencing report.
Serna’s lack of candor with mental health professionals led the judge to determine the shooter most likely has not been forthcoming about his use of marijuana nor abuse of Vyvance, a drug used to treat attention deficit disorders that can cause psychotic episodes for people suffering severe depression.
All of the mental health doctors agree that Serna suffers from severe depression.
Based upon all of the evaluations and the pre-sentencing report, Judge Selvaggio believes the facts show Serna:
• carefully planned the shooting by taking the shotgun from his mother’s bedroom, disassembling it and smuggling the weapon into the school;
• methodically prepared for the rampage by twice waiting for the restroom to clear out of students, changing into camouflage clothing and donning a mask with an expletive written across the forehead area;
• laid in wait for the first victim;
• reloaded the shotgun after discharging six rounds;
• was angry and stressed out about a failed drug test that he feared would short circuit his wrestling season;
• struggled with bulimia;
• had been bullied about his weight as a child;
• has poor self-image;
• abused Vyvance regularly and that most likely led to psychotic episodes where he believed a “higher power told him to cleanse the masses;”
• has suicidal ideations; and
• will continue to internalize his depression rather than talk openly about his problems.
Announcing the sentence, Judge Selvaggio noted he was bound by state law the maximum terms for three felony counts.
He imposed a maximum sentences of 11 years for attempted murder; eight years for felonious assault; and 18 months for inducing panic.
Serna also will have to serve a mandatory three years for using a firearm.
Wednesday’s hearing included statement from Logan who read from a four-page statement (click link to download). In it, he recounted the shooting and the trauma he endured from the two shotgun blasts.
Logan Cole gives his statement Wednesday during Ely Serna’s sentencing.
Doctors told him that had the shots landed just millimeters from the points of impact on his upper back and the right side of his chest he could have died or been paralyzed from the waist down.
As it is, he has hundreds of lead pellets in his body and continues to suffer the effects of elevated lead levels that affect his kidney functions, fertility and mental sharpness.
Logan also has struggled with nightmares and recurring visions of the mask Serna wore.
He also noted the emotional trauma on the rest of the student body and his family.
“In my opinion, justice for someone who attempts to kill others and succeeds in taking the innocence from so many, should be severe,” Logan said.
“Ely, as you have heard me say, I believe that the consequences to your actions should be proportionate to the actions themselves.
“In many ways, even if you serve the full sentence possible, it will not compare to the damage that was done to so many lives.
“I would like you to know, though, that I have forgiven you for what you did to me and our school.
“The reason I can show you forgiveness is because Christ first showed forgiveness to me. My hope and prayer for you is that you also come to know Him as your savior.”
Nancy Schultz spoke on behalf of her son, Adam, who sustained a grazing wound when he dove to the floor to evade the shot from one of the blasts into a classroom.
“It’s ironic you shot two of your fellow students who would’ve been the ones you could go to,” she said.
Her son also suffers from nightmares and couldn’t eat or sleep well in the days following the shooting.
High School and Middle School Principal Greg Johnson told the court students and staff continue to battle post traumatic syndrome disorders from the shooting.
Student visits to counselors have increased more than 250 percent since the shooting, he said as part of an impact statement.
He, too, asked for the maximum sentence.
When it was handed down, Julie Cole buried her head on Logan’s shoulder.
Across the aisle, Serna’s mother, Amy Irwin, had to be helped from the courtroom as she could not stand nor walk on her own.
Champaign County Prosecutor Kevin Talebi speaks with Logan Cole and his family after Serna was given 23 1/2 years in prison.