High schooler who penned 129-page school shooting manifesto in Maryland learns his fate

Andrea “Alex” Ye of Rockville, MD, was found guilty in early January of threatening to commit an act of violence at Ye’s high school, with Ye’s 129-page school shooting “manifesto” a crucial piece of evidence in the case, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Ye, now 19, was arrested in April when Ye’s friend contacted the police after Ye sent his “manifesto” outlining his plans for a school shooting to the person on social media, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. According to Washington, DC news outlet Fox 5, local law enforcement “obtained records from multiple social media platforms, including Instagram and Discord, and reviewed thousands of pages of records that revealed Ye’s consistent obsession with school shootings and school shooters,” the State’s Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

Ye’s manifesto was a “work of fiction,” his defense team said

Ye’s defense team, however, called the so-called “manifesto” a work of fiction and protected by free speech. Ye’s writings included gruesome details about how Ye would attack a school with one of his father’s guns and that he had considered targeting an elementary school because “the little kids make easier targets,” according to Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“At one point in time, when this matter came to our attention, he was actually committed to a psychiatric hospital,” McCarthy explained. McCarthy said the psychiatric hospital notified the FBI because everyone involved including the friend who turned over the manifesto to the police, investigators involved in the case, and doctors who interviewed and treated Ye in the hospital, “knew this was a real threat.”

Ye experienced “intense homicidal ideation,” a mental health professional determined

Ye was convicted in a two-day bench trial in December, meaning there was no jury, leaving the verdict up to the judge. Ye’s friend, who testified at the trial, said, “He wanted to become a spectacle,” referring to Ye’s plans. “I believe an example was the Sandy Hook shooter,” the witness added. A therapist who worked with Ye also said on the stand he experienced “intense homicidal ideation,” according to NBC Washington. At one point, Ye also wrote on Discord he wanted to “repeat Columbine,” the prosecution said.

Ye’s defense team told Fox 5 in a statement that they were “disheartened” by the guilty verdict. “Mr. Ye maintains he did not threaten to commit a crime of mass violence and that he is innocent,” Ye’s lawyers said. They added, “Throughout this challenging process, Mr. Ye has consistently maintained that his intent was solely to share a fictional book he authored.”

In contrast, “This was not a joke and not protected speech,” State Attorney McCarthy said at the press conference announcing the outcome of the case. “Thank God this has a happy ending,” he said, because no one got hurt and Ye got caught before he could carry out his plans. Ye will be sentenced on Feb. 28, and in the meantime, he will undergo psychological evaluations. Ye could spend as long as 10 years in prison.