Judge seals psychiatric evaluations of Freeman school shooter, sentencing pushed back to August

Forensic psychiatric evaluations of Caleb Sharpe won’t be available to the public ahead of his August sentencing.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price granted Sharpe’s motion to seal evaluations by multiple mental health professionals of the now 20-year-old shooter, along with a report of mitigating factors prepared by the Spokane County Public Defender’s office.

Sharpe’s attorney, Brooke Foley, argued Friday morning that the records would provide the public with not just Sharpe’s private information, but the private information of his parents and siblings. The reports also contain information about teachers and other Freeman High School students that Sharpe mentioned during his evaluations, including something that Sharpe told evaluators “triggered” him to commit the shooting that left Sam Strahan dead and three other students injured, Foley said.

Much of the information in the 168 sealed pages will be discussed at length in testimony by two doctors for the defense and one for the prosecutor at sentencing, Foley noted.

Prosecutor Sharon Hedlund deferred to the court’s judgment on the issue and did not make arguments on the motion. Hedlund did ask the judge to review the sealing of the documents after Sharpe’s sentencing in August.

Liz Goldsmith, mother of Jordyn Goldsmith, one of the teenagers injured in the shooting, asked Price to make the records public. Sharpe’s mental health already has been “extensively” discussed in court and will continue to be discussed at sentencing, Goldsmith said.

“After five years, this community deserves to see and hear everything,” Goldsmith said.

The release of the records, Goldsmith said, could prevent future school shootings.

Price ruled that the documents, which he said contain “highly confidential” information about multiple people, will remain sealed until the conclusion of the sentencing, at which time he will review the sealing and determine whether the documents will be made public.

Sharpe’s sentencing, originally scheduled to take place this month, is now scheduled to begin on Aug. 10.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jordyn Goldsmith’s name.