Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 10-26-18

Local
Girls Plot To Kill Students, Commit Suicide
The Bartow Police De- partment interrupted an at- tack at school Tuesday. Another student contacted authorities after learning of the plot.
Police have identified the two girls as 11-year-old Katlynn Persinger and 12-year-old Kaelyn West- ergaard. The weapons were found after Wester- gaard’s mother was con- tacted about her not being in school. When the mother said it must be a mistake, officials began looking for her. They found both girls in a bathroom stall and took them to the office about skipping class. Both were told to empty their pockets.
Persinger pulled out a knife and a knife sharpener. Westergaard pulled out 3 knives and a pizza cutter. All of the weapons were concealed under their
Weapons the girls planned to use in their attacks on fellow students at Bartow Middle School.
Their plan was to attack students who were smaller in stature who they felt they could overpower, kill them, drink their blood, and then commit suicide.
Police said they had conducted research over the Internet on how to kill an individual utilizing a knife. They had planned to kill the students and stack their bodies in the bath- room stall and wait for the next student to come into the bathroom. They also searched where to “stab to bleed out the fastest.”
Both girls, who are en- rolled at Bartow Middle School, were arrested and face several charges, in- cluding conspiracy to com- mit first-degree murder, possession of weapons on school property, carrying concealed weapons, and disrupting a school func- tion.
clothes. At that point, both girls made their intentions of the attack known to school staff and the School Resource Officer. They told them of their plan to kill as many students as possible before committing suicide, police said.
While searching the cell phones, police discovered the message listed below: “Today is health lessens than satan we’re doing this in a bit.” The girls commu- nicated using Snap Chat.
Other messages said, “We shouldn’t have met
each other lol. Now Death is near,” and “I was think- ing like stabbing ourselves in the necks.” Police also found a drawing outlining the school and hallways, showing where they were going to commit their “Killings in bathroom.”
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-A