Freeman school shooter sentenced for a second time, handed 25 years to life
For seven years, Ami Strahan has reappeared in court to represent her son Sam, who was murdered in 2017 when a 15-year-old opened fire at Freeman High School.
It doesn’t matter what the court does, she said. The nightmare of losing Sam, who confronted Caleb Sharpe in the hallway that day, will never be over.
“I don’t know anyone who feels justice was served,” Strahan told the court. “Thank goodness it was just the one, right? The one you took? It was mine.”
On Friday, Spokane County Superior Court Judge Breean Beggs was tasked with resentencing Sharpe, the killer of Strahan’s son, to 25 years to life in prison.
Sharpe previously pleaded guilty to murdering Sam Strahan and injuring three other teenagers during his rampage. He was sentenced to the minimum of 40 years in prison at the time.
Attorneys and judges at Sharpe’s 2022 sentencing apparently missed the requirement under Washington law to sentence a juvenile to no more than 25 years to life at minimum, leading Sharpe to appeal and causing the Court of Appeals Division III to order a judge to sentence Sharpe for a second time. The law also requires judges to consider a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declares life sentences for juveniles unconstitutional, which led to teens all over the U.S. filing appeals for their prison terms.
“The fact that they all missed it is kind of horrifying,” Deputy Prosecutor Michael Jolstead told the court Friday.
Sharpe was also sentenced to 260 months for each count of attempted murder of the three injured girls. Those months will run concurrently to his 25-year minimum sentence, which was part of the agreement between the prosecution and the defense. For Sharpe to enter back into society, he must convince a parole board after 25 years that he has been rehabilitated and will not harm anyone again.
Defense attorney Matthew Harget said Sharpe was advised to ask for a lesser sentence, which is allowed within Washington’s sentencing range laws – but Sharpe didn’t agree.
“He does not want to prolong suffering,” Harget said, but asked Beggs to keep in mind that she was “not sentencing the 22-year-old sitting here before you – you are actually sentencing the 15-year-old boy.”
Harget reminded the court that a Spokane County school shooter is being resentenced the same week of another school shooting in the U.S. A 14-year-old boy is accused of fatally shooting four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
“How do we ever explain any of the mass shootings in our country every single day?” Harget said. “… Our country couldn’t even get through the first week of school without a school shooting.”
Sharpe apologized for his actions and argued that he has turned his life around. He plans on spending the rest of his sentence attempting to strengthen his faith and finish obtaining a bachelor’s degree, he said. He also changed his name to “Kahlev J. Elkhanan,” records show.
In his statement, Sharpe said he hopes it’s clear he has “rejected” the way he was when he was 15 and will “never again walk in these evil ways.”
Sam Strahan’s mother disagrees. Sharpe is a coward, she said, only preaching because he’s hiding behind a veil of religion.
“I can hope the Lord almighty will show you’re not worthy,” Ami Strahan said. “I hope the universe kicks dirt in your face just for good measure, and I hope my son haunts your dreams until your very last breath.”
In a statement issued Friday, Freeman School District Superintendent Randy Russell said the district hopes this “is the last time our families ever have to be in a courthouse” over the shooting.
“Your kindness and support will always be remembered,” he wrote. “We remain Freeman Strong.”