Background:

Barry Dale Loukaitis was born February 26th, 1981 to Joann Phillips and Terry Loukaitis. Although both parents had children from previous marriages, Barry was raised as an only child. He was known for being outgoing and incredibly intelligent. He had an above-average IQ of 116 and was an honor student with an interest in reading and writing. According to his parents, he had many friends and was a member of the student council. The Loukaitis family, previously living in Iowa and Minnesota, moved to Moses Lake, Washington when Barry was in fifth grade. Barry’s once bright personality began to change once he entered middle school.

Family Life:

Joann and Terry’s relationship became abusive, and the fallout of their marriage deeply affected Barry. Terry, a known alcoholic and womanizer, was often absent towards the end of their marriage. When he was around, he was always arguing with Joann. He refused to share any information about the family's personal or business finances with his wife, and their fights would sometimes become physical. Barry would plead with them to stop fighting, with no success. His mother would constantly confide in him about her personal and marital problems while completely ignoring her son’s declining mental state. 

In January 1996, Joann filed for divorce after learning about an affair Terry was having. The discovery of this affair led Joann into a severe depression, and she began confiding in Barry about her suicidal thoughts. Obsessed with revenge, Joann told Barry of her plan for Valentine's Day: she would drive to Ellensburg (where Terry and his new girlfriend were staying at the time), break into his house, and direct him and his girlfriend to the basement at gunpoint. She planned to tie them to chairs and tell them how deeply Terry's betrayal affected her. In the end, she would shoot herself in front of them.

"I told him I was going to go to Ellensburg, tie his father and his girlfriend up in the basement in chairs.. Terry would never listen to me - I was going to make them listen to how they made me feel... I would have a gun and they wouldn't know if I was going to shoot them but at the end... I was going to shoot myself." - Joann testifying in court.

These plans worried Barry, and he tried to redirect his mother's pain. He advised her to write down her feelings rather than acting them out in a violent way. Joann never went through with her plan, but the damage had already been done to her son. Although he was already withdrawing and showing signs of a declining mental state, this event advanced Barry’s isolation. He avoided his parents, and would only eat in his room if he ate at all. Barry spent his days alone reading or watching videos.

Bullying:

Along with the conflict at home, Barry was bullied at school. He was seen as an easy target for bullying because he would never fight back. He was teased for being small for his age and kicked in the school hallways. A friend of Barry told a police officer that he would never wear shorts due to the severe bruising on his legs. Many students would later come forward about the severe physical bullying that Barry dealt with on a daily basis. A popular student, Manuel Vela, was always attempting to humiliate Barry and argued with him frequently. Vela was the opposite of Barry; he was a well-liked boy with confidence. As Barry's mental health declined, his thoughts of violence were becoming more apparent to his peers. Barry would never fight back physically, but he began making disturbing comments and threats towards anyone who targeted him. Soon, his only interactions with other students were to curse them out or threaten them. One of his remaining friends, Zachary Ufkes, stated that Barry was fixated on violence and spoke about going on a killing spree because it would be "fun".  

"Manuel called Barry a "f*ggot" multiple times. After that, Barry said, 'Do you treasure your life?' He said it under his breath like he didn't want him to hear it, but he did." - Amos Frisbie, a friend of Barry Loukaitis, testifying about an argument Vela and Loukaitis had weeks before the shooting

Shooting:

Frontier Junior High School had a delayed start on February 2nd, 1996, due to the cold weather conditions. However, Barry did not leave his house until around 1pm. During this time, Barry stole his father's revolver and hunting rifle; he also took a pistol from his mother's car. He dressed in all black: including a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a $240 trench coat his mother had bought for him two days prior. He cut a hole in one pocket of the trench coat to hide the rifle in. Finally, he strapped two ammunition belts (with 78 rounds of ammunition) around himself. His father offered him a ride to school, but he refused. Barry walked about 1 1/2 miles to Frontier Junior High School.

Loukaitis entered the building through a side entrance. He passed teachers and students before ending up at room 15, where he had his fifth period algebra class. The class had already begun as Barry opened the door. He immediately aimed and fired at Manuel Vela, who was sitting at the desk closest to the door. Vela was shot in the chest and died instantly. Loukaitis shot three times, hitting students Arnold Fritz and Natalie Hintz. Fritz was shot in the chest, and Hintz was shot in the upper torso, almost severing her right arm. Algebra teacher Leona Caires pleaded with Barry to stop, but he shot her in the back as she attempted to hide. Witnesses say that Barry was disturbingly calm during the shooting. He told the class, "This sure beats algebra, doesn't it?" 

"He was calm. He was making jokes. He also told us not to worry... that he wouldn't hurt more of us." - Cory McNutt, survivor sitting closest to the victims.

Loukaitis tried to set the panicked room into order. At this point, Jon Lane, a physical education teacher who was two classrooms away from the shooting, began walking towards room 15 after hearing the commotion. He opened the door and saw Leona Caires’ dead body and Loukaitis with a rifle. Lane quickly hid under the teacher's desk, but Barry ordered him to stand up. He initially refused, stating he was too afraid. A decision had to be made when Loukaitis threatened to start shooting students if Lane did not stand up.

"I told him to point the gun up and away and I would stand." - Jon Lane, teacher

Jon convinced Barry to let him take three students out of the classroom; the wounded Natalie Hintz, a student with diabetes, and Arnold Fritz (who later passed away in the hospital). Each of the three students were taken out individually. During this time, police were attempting communication by talking through the classroom door and calling the classroom phone. Barry ordered Jon to give him the phone, which Barry proceeded to throw onto the floor and break. Although he had initially threatened to shoot more students if police continued to intervene, Loukaitis decided to end the shooting. He told police “to give him 10 minutes to get the room in order." Each student was directed to the back of the room at gunpoint, and Jon Lane was told that he would be taken as a hostage. A black plastic bag was secured over the muzzle of the rifle with rubber bands. Lane was told to put the gun in his mouth, but he refused. After consistent demands from Loukaitis, he pretended to comply and tackled him to the wall when he was close enough. As he unarmed Loukaitis, the remaining students escaped while law enforcement entered. He was immediately handcuffed; he did not resist arrest.

"He was acting shockingly calm. I expected to see a look of remorse, some facial expression. He was very calm... A sergeant made a comment to him, like `Look what you've done.' Loukaitis said, 'I know.'" - Detective Paul Harder

Two hours after being arrested, Barry was interrogated by Detective Sgt. Dave Ruffin. He denied his opportunity to call his parents and a lawyer, stating he did not like lawyers. Loukaitis seemed uncertain of the events of his own doing. He could not recall the amount of people he shot or what his intentions were for the shooting. The interrogation ended abruptly when Ruffin told Loukaitis that his mother had called the family’s lawyer, who advised him to stop speaking. Barry was then taken to his cell where he quickly fell asleep.

“He was a completely different person. I was shocked, horrified. I didn’t know what to think. It was like the whole thing was a nightmare. It was as if all of this stuff that had been boiling up inside of him all of a sudden started coming out. He was scary looking." - Terry Loukaitis, father of Barry Loukaitis

Trial:

Both the preliminary hearings and trial faced many complications and delays. Primarily, changes in Barry’s defense and the judge presiding the case caused concern and delay for the trial. The lawyers involved in the trial changed multiple times, and many of them were later viewed as incompetent.

On September 27th, 1996, it was decided that Barry would stand trial as an adult. The trial officially began on August 15th, 1997. Loukaitis pleaded innocent by reason of insanity. Although bullying seemed to be the implied motive, it was not the focus of the trial. The defense for Loukaitis centered around his dysfunctional family and underlying mental illness. Court-appointed psychiatrists testified with varying conclusions on Barry’s mental health. Some believed that Barry was in a deep state of psychosis, and therefore could not be held entirely accountable for the shooting. Others believed that Barry was mentally ill, but was fully aware of his actions and their consequences. Prosecutors argued against the claims of debilitating mental illness, using Loukaitis’ intricate planning as evidence. 

"He felt like he was God and would laugh to himself. He felt he was superior to other people, and then those feelings were later replaced by hate, disdain, and not measuring up." - John Petrich, psychiatrist

Barry’s parents, former friends, and classmates testified of his gradual descent into hatred and isolation. In the end, Barry Loukaitis was found guilty of 2 counts of first-degree murder, 1 count of second-degree murder, 1 count of first-degree assault, 1 count of second-degree assault, and 16 counts of aggravated kidnapping on September 24th 1997. Since he was being tried as an adult and the insanity plea was denied, a life sentence was almost inevitable. Manuel Vela Sr., father of victim Manuel Vela, wished that Barry was eligible for the death penalty. Alice Fritz, mother of victim Arnold Fritz, stated that she wished Barry would be sent to a treatment facility until he was an adult. On October 10th, 1997, Barry Loukaitis was sentenced to two life sentences plus 205 years without the possibility of parole. 

"There is no happy ending here. We still hope that somehow Barry can get some help." - Alice Fritz

Resentencing:

In 2012, a ruling in the Miller v. Alabama case changed how juvenile offenders were sentenced. Sentencing juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole was now deemed unconstitutional. Because of this, juveniles who were previously given this sentence could be resentenced. 

Barry Loukaitis was set to be re-sentenced in April of 2017. Before the resentencing, a  handwritten letter by Barry was given to the Grant County Superior Court. The letter not only contained an apology for his actions, but Loukaitis also stated that he would not fight any sentence given and wanted the court to 'defer to the desires of the victims' families.' He expressed his deep regret and remorse for committing the shooting. 

During the resentencing, families of the victims and survivors spoke. Some held the same views as they did during the original sentencing, while some felt sympathy for Loukaitis. Barry spoke briefly towards the end of the resentencing, apologizing and giving some explanation to his actions

"When we talked Barry, I told you that I hope you could wake up in the morning and know that if you could have a good day, Arnie’s mom was happy with that and you should not feel guilty for any joy you could find in your life. I still mean that. You have value. I hope that you can experience joy and purpose. I challenge you to do that." - Alice Fritz, mother of victim Arnold Fritz

"As I sit here, I am still waiting for the day my sorrow decreases. I don’t care what you’re going through. Your sentence was supposed to be final, like death is final. I’m being victimized all over again.” - Natalie Hintz, survivor

“The short answer is that I was afraid, I was angry and I was jealous. That’s not the full explanation, but I was in a situation where I was going through the same things that every other kid did and I didn’t see it. I didn’t know that everyone else went through that. And when I started feeling rejected, instead of reaching out to anyone, or saying something to anyone, I just concealed it and instead of facing my own problems and admitting that there was something wrong with me, I turned that behavior outward toward others." - Barry Loukaitis