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From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Free Eric Hainstock!

by Youth Liberation Front (youthliberationfront [at] riseup.net)
Free Eric Hainstock!
Who is Eric? A human being. A fifteen-year old freshman at Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wisconsin. On September 29, 2006, he shot and killed school principal John Klang. He has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder and faces life in prison.

Why should we support him? Because in his own way, Eric had the courage to fight back against a school system that psychologically molests us every day, deprives us of autonomy and freedom, runs our spirits through a conveyor belt of discipline and coercion to spit out obedient workers and slaves. Eric followed his heart’s fiery anger and struck back with the desperation of caged animal, against the system that confined him and dominated his life. Unlike many other school shooters, Eric directed his gunfire up the hierarchy at a figure of authority, at someone who was directly responsible for the oppression of youth. He may not have destroyed the school system by assassinating a single principal, but his gunshots certainly have shaken the system. Let them reverberate in our hearts.

What can we do? Unfortunately, there is not much we can do for Eric personally. We all know that society will wreak its vengeance upon Eric, that he will be sentenced to life imprisonment within the Justice System’s cold dungeons. Perhaps you could write a letter to Eric, communicate to him as a human being and express your solidarity with him. Unfortunately, we cannot find his mailing address at the Sauk County Jail. Let us instead destroy the school system, the prison system, and the entire modern society that oppresses every individual within it. The most important issue in the world is that we arm our desires and make them reality, fight passionately against those that seek to control our lives, and give love and support to our friends and allies as they embark own their own journeys. We send Eric Hainstock our full solidarity and sincere best wishes, as we struggle to create freedom and joy in our own lives. Sometimes, the longing for freedom speaks loudest through the barrel of a gun. But the spirit of anarchy sings whenever you take your life into your own hands, whenever you create and discover for yourself a moment of freedom, joy, life.
by Tessa
I know Eric Hainstock we were going out kinda becuase we neva accutaly went out but still, my dad owns a bar in cazanovia named Jezmos, Eric's dad played horesshoes for my dads horseshoe team and i miss Eric dearly so i am 13 years old and i will try my best to support him because i love him so much. If you could tell him tessa says she loves him and tell him im still here and i love him and i will miss him and ask him if he could call but you may not be able to talk to him or send him n e thing.=( Well then if you cant do that then i will not b able 2 talk or write him cuz my mom wont let me cuz of what just happened but please tell him i love him if you could. Tell him i will support him cuz he tried to fight back and he did but im not happy that he did what he did but hey i still love him.
from tessa
by avm
....or maybe the kid was just f***** in the head and was too weak to deal with the harsh reality of life, which caused him to snap.

Millions of kids go through the same thing this loser did, but not all of them kill teachers.

You're a fuc**** idiot for even posting this.
by James Carbonneau
I was very touched by the Eric Hainstock story. He was being harrassed at school being called a Faggot and even physically touched. He went to his principle for help. His principle did NOTHING to help him, but instead suspended him for smoking cigarettes! I'm not saying it was right for him to kill, I'm just saying that the system is so unfair...the teachers he went to see pleading for help are never going to be held accountable for their actions, or INactions rather, where as poor, YES poor Eric Hainstock will be sitting in prison for LIFE.
by Alyssa (christion_rap_chic17 [at] yahoo.com)
Eric Hainstock is a great person I'v Known him practicaly my hole life and I'v never known him to even thing about killing anyone we always spent weekends together and I even helped him with his homework we were just best friends we were inseperable and when I hurd what he had done it just crushed me! I know he never had the right to kill anyone and I wish all of this would have happend differently but thats life (i guess) This Sucks!!!!!!!!!!
by foreverchanged9-29-06
omg. who ever thinks eric hainstock should be free, well SCREW U. eric KILLED my principal. ok, killed, get it? how would u like it if someone KILLED someone u luved? no one should feel sorry for that person. he is only using 'name calling' as an excuse. he brought everything on himself. HE called ppl names, and picked on them. my bro was in his class. how could this happen? weston is the best school there can be. look at our sports. We got volleyball conference champs 2 years in a row, and this year we got 2nd. And, our football got 2nd this year, too. I cannot believe this happened. i luved mr. klang. he was the best. i connot believe some of u ppl r saying " Free Eric Hainstock". U r sooooo immature.
GET A LIFE
by James Carbonneau
Wow "foreverchanged" are you on any sports teams? Doing well in school? I'm not saying exactly that Eric should be completely freed...he SHOULD and WILL pay a big price for what he did. Just try to put yourself in his shoes for 1 minute though...imagine yourself at school every day just trying to get through the day and being called a "Faggot" by all the jocks and being used as their punching bag. How would you feel "foreverchanged"? As much as you hate Eric Hainstock, don't you sympathise with him at all? He couldn't concentrate on his education like you could because he was being bullied around and he went to these adults at your school for help! What would you do seriously if it seemed that nobody cared about you and nobody wanted to help you put an end to being bullied around? And don't tell me that he's making up this name calling. At every school in North America there's always the guy that all the kids pick on because he's different, and Eric Hainstock WAS that boy in your school, don't you read the papers? It's true, your principle didn't deserve to die, but Eric Hainstock DID have the right to attend school without being called Faggot or worse, and the system (your principle and some teachers) turned their backs on him.
by alone 4 ever
omg james u r so right i was one of erics close friends and i saw him every monday and he is a very good person and was teased a LOT i hate the ppl who did this 2 him but im not happy wit the ways he delt wit it but im proud he took a stand and he is someone who has changed my life 4ever and im so sorry hes gone to prison 4 life but i dont think he should b there 4 life i think mayb 20-30 years tops he was a good friend and person i will miss him dearly and so will a few more people but he did wat he could he took a stand becuz ppl were bing fucking assholes and no one was there to help him he is truely a good person remember that who eva is telling us that he diserves wat he gets but i do beleive he should be punished but not that bad thnx for reading this whoeva is reading this!!!!!
by James Carbonneau
Hi there Alone4Ever, Yes I have to agree with you, I don't think he should go to jail for life. For one thing he's just a child, and also there's special circumstances like the fact that he was bullied and teased, that he had a hard time at home, that he had a medical condition that went untreated, that he put faith in the authority at his school to help him with this. I just think that he's not the only one responsable for his actions and like you said, he should go to jail for a long time for murdering someone, but not for life. I also think that the police should look into things a little deeper, like for instance if he did go to see other teachers about this problem and if they find out that they did in fact do nothing to help him, then they too should be held responsable for not doing their jobs and failing to protect the children. And this Gym teacher that has gone to the media saying that it was Eric who was the bully, well he really disgusts me. Here we've already read in the media and even on this site some of his friends who have seen with their own eyes that he was picked on alot, and this gym teacher STILL doesn't want to hear that Eric was being bullied! It sounds to me like he's trying to protect some of his star athletes who were actually Eric's tormentors.
If anyone out there still loves Eric then I think he could use our support. Why don't we write him just to let him know that there's still people out there who care for him, even complete strangers like myself. I'm sure he could use the cheering up. Thanks, James
by Ginger
I wonder if the gym teacher was aware of the human bite marks on this boys stomach and if he would be at all concerned about that? Probably not.
by Joe
Check out this site that has a lot of information about Eric's case.
http://justiceforjuveniles.org/
by Cari Barichello (poochyboo [at] msn.com)
Please visit http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org and help us, help Eric. He will be tried and convicted as an adult. He will be housed with adult prisoners. He will be another warehoused child only to endure isolation, rape, abuse and neglect.

Society is to blame for what happened to this child. We as American citizens can not let this child be thrown to the wolves. We need to ban together to save Eric; the boy society has turned their back on. It is not to late.

Visit our forum. Go into Erics topics and meet all the wonderful, dedicated people from throughout the country and United Nations who want to help the child forgotten.

Cari Barichello/ Administrator
http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org


by valerie
reading about eric's life is heartbreaking,no child should ever have to suffer the abuse this boy suffered.Why did no one help him?How many people knew about his abuse and did nothing?Why did a judge hand him back to his abuser?Why didn't anyone in the school notify child services,that is the schools responsbility if they suspect abuse or know of abusue you report it.But then again this school allowed this boy to be bullied and did nothing.Why is bullying tolerated in this school or any other school?What right does any child have to call another child names?This boy had no outlet,no where to go to be safe,not home, not school.What happend to the principle is a tragedy,But it was a preventable tragedy.Trying this boy as an adult sending him to adult prison,is not closure for the community nor is it closure for the victim's family,it is vengence and nothing more.This boy needed help he got none.I will do all I can to make sure he is not thrown away,treated like trash,like he obviously has been his whole life.freedom for eric..Thank you so much for doing this for eric.
by Darwin
Eric Hainstock deserves to rot in the prison cell the jurors send him to. I too have seen the terrors of the system as have millions like me and we do just fine. This boy smoked and had a history of violence and "joked" to his friends about wanting to kill the school principal. Anyone who feels that this boy is a poor soul, doesn't understand that a person who feels they "must" resort to violence to express themselves is a danger to society. Mr. Hainstock was caught smoking the day before. Rising against the school is trivial in this instance. The system sucks, boo-hoo, shooting a principal doesn't change that. The fact that this boy was willing to resort to violence to "fight the violence" means that he deserves to be locked away.
by James Carbonneau
Well Darwin, I'm not sure whether or not you are aware that this site is for supporters of Eric Hainstock. None of us think it was right for to kill; we just think that he should be charged as a minor and not as an adult. He is a 15 year old boy after all, last time I checked that's still a minor.
I'm sorry that you feel like he should "rot in prison" even after reading all these posts i.e. some of his friends wrote in to say how much of a sweet person he is and that he was picked on alot. He is just a child who didn't have all the resources we all had, and that should be taken into consideration. You have a right to your own opinion though. Respect.
by ginger
Too bad Eric's father was let off the hook on felony child abuse charges or he would have rotted in prison before he had a chance to destroy his own son. But the system didn't work the way it was supposed to and now a school principal is dead and an abused teenager is going to be charged as an adult.

For anyone who wants more info on Eric Hainstock there are two more websites available:
http://www.kidsincourt.net and http://www.whoopassforjustice.org.
by Jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
Ok i havent been in contact with eric since second grade.... i was one of his best friends in two years of headstart then agian in second grade. bakc then he was picked on terribly and got into fights because he was so fed up with it...and this was in SECOND grade. his dad abused him terribly... his dad even threatned to kill me if i didnt merry him...while in second grade. that shows u how fucked up his father was. yes wut eric did was wrong but his dad needs to be punished ..in my opinion worse then eric.. our school called the cops and social services on his dad..the saem ppl that said his dad was a better parent then is mother...BULLSHIT...he fucked him up so bad...tormenteted him for years..and all the idiodic kids at school who picked on him daily...its amazing he lasted this long. and yes he snapped but i can just imagine wut his dad said or did to him wen he got in trouble with tobaccoo and shit at school. I HATE HIM SO MUCH but i dont hate eric..i could never hate eric... some ppl say "its impossible to hate someone if u know their story" well i know a small part of the story and my heart goes out to eric...and even though wut he did was horrible ( he should have got his dad) i dont htink he deserves life in prison...he wouldnt last...he needs therapy and someone to love him ....i just wish i could have stayed in his life...but thats his dads doing... and if anyone finds his mailing adress plz email it to me at froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com or if i find it i will repost and let u know..... and plz KEEP ERIC IN OUR THOUGHTS
Written by Jen strubel
by jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
ok unless u knew him u have no idea wut he was goin through ..hell osme of his " closest friends" didnt even know so go on some bash eric website this isnt for uand everyone else who thinks we are all wrong in the way we think and feel... FUCK U. yes hes gunna be punished but doesnt deserve life..im thinking 25 tops and manditory therapy...but very few ppl knew wut he went through befor all the storys in the papers came out. and u cant believe them cuz they said he was the instagator and he was never picked on or anything thats bullshit.
by Dougless
First of all, I would like to say that the first message posted by Youth Liberation Front is one of the greatest pieces of escrete I have ever read in my life. Complete trash that is helpful in no way what-so ever.

Secondly, I would like to thank everybody, especially Jen Strubel for their USEFUL comments. We need to bring light into this case to help others who might face this in the future, rather then saying, "Yay! Free Eric because anarchy is wonderful!"

The life sentence seems crule. To be imprisoned for life is as bad as death. Life sentence, no. Freedom? I have to say no on that as well. Anybody who grows up with that kind of thing in their lives becomes just as dangerous, if not worse as the previous person. With that father of his, he would need serious, SERIOUS therepy. It would take years, possibly decades to reveres the damage inflicted in his fifteen year lifespan. I would like to believe theres hope for this young man. I would like to think there's hope for everybody. But, the deed's been done and recompense still has to be paid. No matter what the situation, he still did wrong, and there has to be a price.

Whatever the outcome, I think our energy should be focused on preventing this sad and far too familiar story from occuring again. I know that's easier said then done, but it would be a worth while endevour. And while were at it, we need to get people who will do their jobs right. From the Coach, to the Principal, to the Police who simply don't care enough. Once again, easier said the done.

I'm sorry about this predicament, but if it inspires change in all the systems, then not all of it's a waste. I wish I could say more, but not being closly related to the situations presented here, I can only draw conclusions from these comments.

No one needs a gun to inspire change.
by just wondering
i couldn't find it on dictionary.com or wiktionary.com
by James Carbonneau
I'll have to agree with you there. The intro to this page is way too extreme and is most likely more a turn-off to people visiting this forum. I've switched over to justiceforjuveniles.org but am still checking this page frequently. It probably gets more hits because when you're going through search results, "Free Eric Hainstock!" definitely jumps out at you. I'm sure that nobody here thinks it's cool that Eric murdered somebody, besides whoever started this who doesn't answer emails and seems to have abandoned this site.
by Dougless
Excrete (The correct spelling) means to emit, ooze or leak. Discharged waste matter. Crap, basicly. Sorry about the misspell there. I was never quite savy with that particular subject.

by Jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
R.I.P. Mr. Klang Weston shooting
Even though id never met u, i know he were a great person...to give up his life to save those of ur fellow staff and students....i just wish eric would have had someone to talk to...sure he had me until 2nd grade when his dad tore him away.... then it all went down hill...running away ,anger ,violence...NOW THIS....i wish i could have been there to stick up for him when people were picking on him like when we were younger...sure everyone hates him now...but if u just knew him b3 that....ur heart might give a little for him....don’t get me wrong what he did is UNEXSCUSIBLE and no one should ever be pushed that far....so next time ur calling someone a fag or spreading rumors... i hope u think of this exsprience...or next time one of ur friends picks on someone that u stand up for that person...even if u don’t like them....BE KIND... u never know wut that person is going through at home...and in there head how they plan to deal or deal with that stuff...if someone would have just been nice... stuck up for him, ate lunch with him... maybe he wouldn’t have gone so far....so plz just think about it net time before u pick on someone or spread a rumor.....just remember what can happen and then we can all learn something from this horrible exspirience


My heart and soul goes out to EVERYONE ,students everywhere...those who knew Eric And Mr. Klang.....
written by jen strubel. sept 29th. 10:48 pm
by Jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
Well i know eric had a pre-trial hearing on friday the 13th and he was ordered back oct 24th...but i cant seem to find anyinfo on how its goin..if i do i will most likely post it but plz let me know if anyone finds any updates.. TYVM
by Bill King
What so many people fail to understand is this, Eric by every other factor of society is a child and the only reason to try him as an adult is to have a slam dunk conviction and a prosecutors win. Kids are the easiest people to convict because first they are the most emotional and reactive in a crisis, so he was not even aware of the conseqences of his act. As a child he could stay in custody as an accused person for as long as 3 years before he has his so-called fair trial (what a joke that is). As a child he will naturally grow while waiting for a chance to prove himself innocent, because by law he is supposed to be considered innocent until PROVEN guilty and again that is not being done with our kids in this society. The idea that people believe he should be sent away for life is cruel and inhumane treatment of a child because I can tell you right up front he will NOT be helped , he will be abused until he has to fight back again except he has a better chance of death while defending himself in prison. This type of treatment of our kids is going on all over the United States and it is an embarrassment. So, if you are under the age of 18 or you have a child or family member under the age of 18 you can rest assured that they will recieve the same shabby treatment as this child if they are accused of a felony or even if they were with friends whan a felony is committed.

Get on the bandwagon to treat him and every kid as a kid by fixing what is wrong with the juvenile system because believe me a life without parole sentence is the slowest and most cruel type of aggrevating death behind those cold prison walls and NO KID deserves to have that thrown on them because a kid with no hope is the most mentally abused person in our broken system. Check out our sites to change the laws to protect every kid and it just might help save someone that you love.................Bill King
by James Carbonneau
Congrats to you Jen. You are the only young person I've seen since Sept. 29th who has learned the ultimate lesson; that bullying cannot be tolerated in our public schools or anywhere else for that matter.
I understand that Eric's parents are partly to blame for what happened, but remember that he took 2 guns to school on that fateful day, not to his fathers bedroom. What was troubling him was his situation at school.
A victim of bullying myself, the times that other kids stepped in to defend me (or adults for that matter) were few and far between. I cannot begin to stress the importance of sticking up for victims of bullying, but at the same time it's important not to put your own life in danger. If you see someone being called names or beaten up, talk to your teachers. Talk to your parents. And make sure that something is done about it. All kids deserve the right to concentrate on their education without having to worry about how they are going to avoid getting beaten up by Billy Bob after school.
Kudos to you Jen, and to all others who are able to get something positive out of this heartbreaking story.
by YLF (youthliberationfront [at] riseup.net)
Original poster here. I only recently checked this article again, and saw all the comments. The posts of people who were Eric's friends truly touched me, made me care for him and you on a far more personal level. I still haven't found his mailing address, so I have no way to communicate with him either.

A quick response to those inevitable pissed-off idiots: yes, "millions of people" have been oppressed by the system, Eric was one of the few people who lashed out. I support him. You don't. Big surprise, you shit-licking lapdogs.

Also somewhat inevitably, the whole thread seems to have been hijacked by fucking liberal reformists. "Too extreme" Complaining about how he's going to be tried as an adult, teasing within schools, blah blah blah. Has it ever occured to you that the entire school and justice systems are fucking oppressive in and of themselves? That there might be more to learn from this story than "bullying is bad, snitch on bullies?" You're sympathetic to Eric, but you don't support what he did. Such a half-assed typically leftist position. Anyways, I'm not here to convince you of anything, only to challenge your ideologies, raise disturbing questions, and perhaps inspire some people to live their lives passionately and well.

A little more food for thought: the only reason I'm not instigating everyone to gun down their principals is that it doesn't work TACTICALLY, and there are far better ways to attack the system (sabotage, anyone?). Morally, I have no objection to someone killing their oppresser. I don't think that Eric should be jailed AT ALL. When I wrote "Free Eric Hainstock," I meant it; I know that it will never happen unless a prison riot or jailbreak or industrial collapse happens, but I believe that he (and all other living beings) should be free. Justice is the cold gauntleted hand of a judge striking down those who direct their gunfire up the hierarchy, while supporting those who massacre and oppress those beneath them. There is no justice, it is just us. Who is anyone to decide what he "deserves," and force him to do that? Better that you act from your own heart, without invoking any morality, viagra for those too cowardly to act otherwise. Every action has it's consequences to be sure. But even a bunch of vendettas and blood feuds is better than the vengeance of the state, though not much better. We need to abolish the fucking system--civilization--that breeds heinous atrocities such as mandatory education, wage slavery, abusive personal relationships, courts of "justice," police, and all other institutions of domination.

Free Eric Hainstock! Long Live Anarchy! DESTROY the System, don't waste your time trying to reform it.
by Jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
Hey everyone there is a better site that has actually helped other kids in erics situation and there are over 22 pages just on eric. if u would like to check it out go to http://justiceforjuveniles.org/ and on the left side of the page go under module to forums and go to eric hainstock. theres people telling their stories about eric and others that have ben through the system ENJOY
by Dougless
First off, Sorry Jen. If I made an incorrect comment on someone like the principal, I appoligize. The point of my letter was mearly perpose an idea, not to speed rumors. Sorry once again.

Now for you, YLF. What the heck is the matter with you?!? "Long Live Anarchy"!?!? Are you insane?! A society cannot exist if everyone is doing what ever they want! If such an oportunity opened, we would blow each other to bits! If we had been living in total anarchy through out history, I doubt we could even be having this disscusion. (Take that last bit the way you like, it has many meanings.) Unbelivable! You think that having "ultimate freedom" is the way to a glorious future? Let me tell you something, anarchy does not give freedom, it takes it a way. People would start killing each other off, because everyone is concerned with what-ever desire he or she has in mind. If anyone got in the way of that the desire, all they would have to do is kill him and continue what their doing. By killing a person, they have taken away their right to live, which is a freedom everyone should have.
Also once you desolove government, everything else desolves. Economics, education, science, education, ect. It would send the human race into a dark age. Once again I ask, how can you support such a thoughtless and STUPID ideal? So there may be some gray stuff involved and there may be some who'd want to live in peace, but there wouldn't be enough. The odds are that they would be the fist ones to be shot in an anarchy.

Eric's Principal had a right to live. The ideal you support would force us to become animals, and I think that everyone, even YOU, are better then that.

Role that around in your mind.
by Guest
For those who are still concerned about the fate of Eric Hainstock please do not hesitate to sign this important petition:

http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
by a fellow teen, but a reedsburg student
well i dont attend weston and i didnt know eric h. and i didnt no mr klang either. from what i heard your principle was a great man and a very kind one, and from other things i have heard that eric was also a great friend but had a troubled life. and so if it is true that eric went to mr klang wanted help with bullies and nothing was done than he became upset with mr klang, that makes sense. but not enough to kill i no. so if he was bullied by fellow students and if he was abused by his father , then his life was pretty shitty. and i can only compare to the bullying not the abuse and i bet that more than 75% of you posting comments can not compare to his life in any way. i think that trying him as adult is bullsh*t because he isnt even close to 18 isnt he only like 15 im not sure. but still. that is no reason to try his as an adult. the only reason it seems to be like this is because i think favorites are being taken toward mr klang because he was liked more than eric. and sure i might have no reason posting this cuz i go to reedsburg but h*ll this is all messed up sh*t. so tell me if im wrong but i think matters need to be checked and all things need to be found. so did mr klang refuse to help eric or not? they need to find this sh*t out.
by Jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
eric3rd.jpg
Well fellow reedsburg student i go to reedsburg to but i did know eric and yes he had a f**ked up life. and to ur last questiong i heard the principal and other teachers told him to ignore it or use his words to make it stop. they had no intrest in even hearing him out or helping him. and i see that in some of the classes at teh highschool. but some of the teachers are taking steps to stop harrasment and roughhousing between the guys in class. because i know of a very nice guy that his " friends" are always picking on him and hitting him and using him but hes too shy or wutever to stick up for himself. but i see that u agree with us that he should be tried as a minor and it would be much appreciated if you would sign our petition you can find it at http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org and ty for ur post
i am goin to try to put a pic of eric up on this site.
by Jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
I have posted the site for the petition on my myspace and in a myspace shool forum thing. i have also emialed it to everyone on all my emailing lists. and if its not too much to ask woudl everyone plz send this to everyone you have internet contact with. it would help out alot. and remember keep eric in your thoughts
by Ginger
It appears that Eric's rage was probably directed toward his abusive father and his absentee mother, but was unleashed on the high school principal. It is misplaced anger and rage. He completely snapped over something as trivial as tabacco and a minor suspension. Compared to the abuse and abandonment he endured for a lifetime by his parents, this was nothing, but it was the straw that broke the camels back. Most likely his father should have been the victim. Sadly, Mr. Klang and Eric are the victims. I should think the bullies (jocks) should be feeling the appropriate amount of guilt for their unacceptable behaviour and bad character in the attempted destruction of their classmate. But probably not. I would hope that the school officials would be feeling the approprite amount of guilt for acting like ninnys and instructing this boy to "use the appropriate words" to defend himself for infractions that were way beyond that sort of solution. I would hope the judge, police and courts are feeling the appropriate amount of guilt for allowing the menace, Mr. Hainstock, to continue abusing and torturing his own son and to keep firearms in his home. I would hope Eric's so called mother would be feeling the appropriate amount of guilt for abandoning her son. She should be feeling the most guilt of all. I know, I am a mom. But, Eric has been handed all of the blame and is supposed to be an adult now and able to handle all of it. Yes, our society is screwed up.
by reedsburg student
i agree yes sum rage was taken out on mr klang but still. i hate stuck up jocks wit a passion i mean they think they are better then the rest so they make others lives a living hell! i hate that f*ck all jocks they the ones at weston need to realize some blame can be put on them..
by Washington Student
I agree on some levels, but A) that doesn't justify shooting anybody B) who knows the true extent of the bullying, they said much of the similar things about the Columbine High School massacre, turns out most of the implied bullying and stratification of Harris and Klebold was just media fabrication C) in a sense guilt should be felt by society in general for making so violence to Americans as 42 is to geeks. Mostly its the media's dreary fault, in my opinion.
by Ginger
I don't believe the media fabricated any of the bullying of the shooters at Columbine. In fact, they probably down played it.

The jocks were defended by their coach and gym teacher.and why? What they were doing to this boy is indefensible. But Jocks have been bullying kids for many years. Even when I was in high school 30 years ago, jocks thought they were better than everyone else. Who ever defended Eric???
by Jim >
A lot of comments here about sending Eric away for L/WO/P. I know a lot of kids now in that situtation. All of you speak tough! Let me be the first to tell you ,you aint!
Someone else here called you Lap dogs> Thats a fair description. You can sound so tough now talkin about a kid that cant fight back. So to use the language that is bein used her all over Where the fuck were any of you when yo could have made a differance. You could have reported the abuse You could have stood next to him an supported him when he desperately need help from some one.
Already in this cas a judge has screwed up monumentally. That placed on the top of you people who knew an did nothin is what should also be on trial here not eric
An if you want to cll me a liberal scum , all I can say is comon over. I'll let you try to take away My Purple Heart,BSM,Combat medics Badge an the arcom with V.
Its easy for jerks like you to just jump on a bandwagon and spew lies that you hear that in many cases are not true. I also would like to see how you react If I walked up to you every day an slapped you across your foul mouth. Followed you around all day callin YOU a Faggott,Punchin YOUin the back of the head. All of that done by real brave punks that chose to hide in a crowd.
The ones who should be on trial here are all the ones like you! Not Eric
You people up there live in a dream world. Go back to sleep! JIM >
by Jim >
A lot of comments here about sending Eric away for L/WO/P. I know a lot of kids now in that situtation. All of you speak tough! Let me be the first to tell you ,you aint!
Someone else here called you Lap dogs> Thats a fair description. You can sound so tough now talkin about a kid that cant fight back. So to use the language that is bein used her all over Where the fuck were any of you when yo could have made a differance. You could have reported the abuse You could have stood next to him an supported him when he desperately need help from some one.
Already in this cas a judge has screwed up monumentally. That placed on the top of you people who knew an did nothin is what should also be on trial here not eric
An if you want to cll me a liberal scum , all I can say is comon over. I'll let you try to take away My Purple Heart,BSM,Combat medics Badge an the arcom with V.
Its easy for jerks like you to just jump on a bandwagon and spew lies that you hear that in many cases are not true. I also would like to see how you react If I walked up to you every day an slapped you across your foul mouth. Followed you around all day callin YOU a Faggott,Punchin YOUin the back of the head. All of that done by real brave punks that chose to hide in a crowd.
The ones who should be on trial here are all the ones like you! Not Eric
You people up there live in a dream world. Go back to sleep! JIM >
by Cari Barichello
Please read and consider signing Eric's petition. Pass on to everyone you know. Thanks!!

http://www.PetitionsDirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org
by Darwin
You talk as if you know Eric personally, I was bullied through out my childhood like Eric with few people to turn to because of my introversion, but not only do all these posters give me a picture that Eric had plenty of friends. He didn't have to move 4 times between 7th to 12th grade and I never shot my principal. Though life would be an incorrect sentence to a fifteen year old but a murder deserves to be locked away for a long time, bullied or not. I said once that Eric shot his principal because he was pissed, it could have been someone else in some other situation that pissed him off that he shot, because I know many people who have had childhoods like Eric's and they don't shoot people who piss them off.
by TJ
ITs sad that Eric was a victim. He was a victim of his family and their cruelty. He was a victim of bullies at school, apparently. However, what he did was wrong and sadly its a done deal and there is no way out now. Has anyone said that the principal was a bad guy? Was he to blame? Did he deserve to die? Eric caused his death. Eric does not deserve life in prison and he does not deserve to be in the adult system, he is a kid. But, as tragic as his life is, he cannot simply be let go. He will have to be under lock and key and receive therapy and rehab for many years. That is the best one can hope for at this point. He did the wrong thing and he will not have his freedom for a long time. Hopefully though, he will not be thrown away to rot in an adult prison---that would not bring back the dead man and would accomplish nothing. The thinking of the public and the justice system needs some re-adjustment for Eric not to get life without parole in an adult prison----most people go for the revenge and the lock-up, this kid needs therapy and rehab in a secure juvenile setting.
by jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
hey fellow reedsburg student i also go to RAHS and the preps and jocks are SOO fucking annoynig. i swear this whole higschool cliuqe thing is so gay. if u like some people that ur " friends" dont like u shouldnt have to be tortureed to choose one or the other. WHO cares how much your clothes cost. or how many pairs of pants u own. if u really care about all that stuff more then being a good person UR A SHALLOW MORON and deserve to be put in a building with all the other shallow ppl and live a shallow unhappy life
by Ginger
TJ, your are right. He did the wrong thing by bringing weopons to school and by shooting the principal. But I believe his rage was really directed at his father but was ultimately unleashed on the principal. Mr. Klang was the unfortunate victim of Eric's misdirected rage. Eric possibly may have been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from living in an embattled environment most of his life and having been abandoned by his mother at at very young age and having no one on a daily basis to turn to or to soften the blow. By the time Eric was 15, his baggage was overfloweth. A stronger person may have had the strength to carry that load, but not everyone is the same. What is an overwhelmingly heavy load for one may not be for another. Either way, it is agreed that Eric had more than his fair share to deal with. A loathsome and cruel father, uncaring mother, negligent court system, social agencies and school authorities, which ultimately contributed to the killing of the principal. It is easy to find a simple answer and blame in on the one person who pulled the trigger. One embattled, ragged, bullied and abused 15 year old cannot shoulder the blame for all of that.
by TJ
Ginger, I agree. Had he taken his anger out on his father this whole situation would look different; sadly he did mis-direct that anger and Mr Klang died as a result. He was abused and bullied and that is tragic. It is also tragic that not one person was around to step in and intervene to help Eric. Yes, he could very well suffer from PTSD, no doubt. The only problem I have is that if everyone who is abused and bullied brings a gun to school or to the work place, and fires and then innocent people die---are we not going to hold the one pulling that trigger responsible? Ultimately in our society we do not put the society on trial when there is a killing---we hold the one who commited the killing responsible. Eric was tormented and he snapped, yes that is what happened. However a man died as a result and that man was not his father and he was not the bully. He was not Eric's enemy. I do think Eric deserves compassion and should not be cast away to life in an adult prison. He should be in a juvenile mental health facility with therapy and rehabilitation and one day he should be given a chance in society. However, he will need to be closely watched while this is going on and consequently will lose his freedom for some time. I don't know how else to put it. AND I know it may sound as if I am taking both sides here, but really I am supportive of Eric, but not of the choice he made that day. I hope that the system will be compassionate, I hope the system will see this case for what it is, and I hope that the system will do the right thing for Eric. Somehow, however, I doubt that will happen, sorry to say, because most people will be unable to get beyond the simple fact that an innocent man died----that is the reality as I see it. I do understand Eric's plight; I am just being realistic.
by ginger
TJ, I think your view is representative of most people. It is a very sensible outlook on the situation. You are right we cannot put society on trial everytime someone is killed. But we can and should hold society responsible for making it much harder for unstable people like Shawn Hainstock to own firearms. Especially with an unstable and dysfunctional son living with him. Also, someone did try to help Eric. That was when the father was charged with felony child abuse for kicking the crap out of his 10 year old son and wrestling him to ground to pour hot sauce down his throat (all of that from a fully disabled person). The courts let Eric down when they gave him back to his abuser and did not follow up or attach court supervision to the dropping of the charges. There should have been very stringing supervision of this man with the idea if he screwed up even once, his son was gone. In fact the courts should have given custody of Eric to his grandparents or his Aunt and Uncle at that time. But Shawn Hainstock got another chance and he did exactly the same thing he was not held accountable for the first time. Now Eric will face the same Judge who handed him back to his abusive father and step-mother, no questions asked. This is where society comes in and we all need to demand changes and accountability from our elected officials. They need to follow the rules set out for them and the laws on the books, one being a felon cannot own a firearm in the State of Wisconsin which would have been Mr. Hainstock if the charges wouldn't have been dropped. This wasn't his first violent offense either. He showed up at Eric's elementary school wielding a gun and threatening a classmate and had to be escorted off the gounds. He should have lost his priveledge to own a gun then. You see, how society has let this boy down? It has let Mr. Klang down and so we need to think about that. Eric simply fell through the cracks again and again and again because folks weren't doing their job. TJ, you do have the right idea. Eric needs alot of help, and that is what we are trying to get for him. If he proves that he is amenable to treatment and can prove that to a judge, he may get a second chance, which every child deserves. He needs support and encouragement from family, friends and the community who can see beyond sheer vengence and court some compassion for Eric. That may be a better legacy to Mr. Klang, an educator, than a child rotting in prison for the rest of his life. Maybe he would rather see Eric become a healed, productive member of society in his name, rather than a symbol of vengence.
by TJ
Ginger, I agree with everything you are saying. The "system" did let this boy down. You are right. My hope is that now he can get the help he didnt get before and he will NOT rot in jail forever.
by Jamie
If you haven't already done so, please be sure to sign the Eric Hainstock petition.

http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org

http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org

http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org

This petition IS NOT for him to be "Freed" and released. What he did was WRONG,we all can agree on that. But he MUST be tried as a juvenile and transferred to a juvenile detention center. He is only 15 years old. Thank you.
by rodney
Hopefully he will rot in jail for life because he killed a man with a family. How do you think his family feels? He was old enough to make a decision and he should pay for it the rest of his life.
by Ginger
We are starting to see clear evidence that Eric did not INTENTIONALLY gun down Mr. Klang. Eric wrongly and intentionally took weopons to school to use as a threat so someone would listen to him in regards to the bullying he was getting from other students and a few teachers (including a gym teacher who made fun of him for being a special needs student in front of the class. There is evidence of the bullying by students and apparently a few teachers. ) Mr. Klang allegedly ambused Eric from behind in an attempt to stop him and during a struggle for the gun it fired 3 times killing Mr. Klang. So here you have a bullied student, an ambush, a loaded gun and panic and this results in death.

Obviously, 1st Degree Intentional Homicide is not the correct charge in this case. Neither is charging Eric as an adult. He was a Special Needs student, working at an 8th grade level and was unmercifuly bullied by classmates. His only friends were in a youth group at a Quaker Church he attended. They did not go to his school. But they did care about him and have raised money for his account. They saw the bite marks on his stomach from his obviously vicious step-mother and took pictures of the wounds. They witnessed the tirade of Shawn Hainstock when he came to get Eric and threatened him. There is much more to this case then has been reported in the newspapers. Eric needs support from the community if this sort of thing is ever going to stop. Exaggerated news stories and vengence by the District Attorneys officeand Eric rotting in prison, is not going to bring back Mr. Klang. Trying to find out what really happened and why will be the best solution. Maybe starting a fund for Mr. Klang's children would be a good idea. I don't think vengence is the answer.
by TJ
Ginger, You have the most sensible perspective of any of the posters on this board. There should be more people in the world like you.
by ginger
Why thank you TJ. Most people are sensible and reasonable (always a few extremests in every crowd) and want to get to the truth. That is what we need to do in this case. Get to the truth of what happened and why and how it can be prevented in the future. It seems that a person would have to be blind not to see this catastrophy coming. There were even reports that went back as far as preschool. The warning signs were flashing in neon by the time this happened, yet all signs went unheeded. I feel horribly for Mr. Klang and his family. It is a gutwrenching tragedy but I also feel bad for Eric who basically was an outcast who could do nothing right. He is also a victim.
by BG
Well I understand compleatly that you think that eric should be in jail for the rest of his life but just because something bad happended to you dodent mean that you can baddger and critasize anyone that dosent side with you so you just need to accept and move on!!!
by Knight
(quote)He knew it was wrong. He knew the difference between "right and wrong(unquote)

No one knows the mental state of this child, prior, during this incident. "ONLY", a medical physician expert in the field of anatomy, physiology/psychology of the "growing child" can determine this child's mental state. To "assume" is not facts in evidence.
by ginger
anyone here who feels that Eric should be charged and tried as a juvenile, should write to District Attorney Barrett and let their feelings be known. Eric does not deserve the vengence that the DA is going to go after. We should not be demonstrating an eye for an eye mentality against a 15 year old boy who was abused and bullied and abandoned most of his life. It will cost the taxpayers $1 million dollars to keep Eric in prison for life but is will cost a small fraction of that to rehabilitate and treat a boy like Eric. He can become a productive member of society at the fraction of the cost and that is a better legacy to the school principal than vengence and retailiation. At http://www.justiceforjuveniles I have posted media links to local newspapers if anyone cares to write a letter to the editor on Eric's behalf. Eric's Public Defender's address is also listed in Eric's forum as is the District Attorney. For convenience, here is DA Barretts address:

Patricia A. Barrett ........ District Attorney SAUK COUNTY COURTHOUSE
515 Oak St.
Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913
(608) 355-3280 Victim Witness Unit (608) 355-3281
FAX: (608) 355-3282
http://www.co.sauk.wi.us/contact.htm

It seems our world is lacking in empathy and the death of Mr. Klang may possibly be the unintentional result of just that. The uncivilized and mean-spirited bullying of Eric may be at the root of what happened and has happened in other school shootings. Let's clean up our act folks. Show some compassion, and also try to heal by not going after vengence, Charging Eric as a juvenile and getting him the help he needs but also setting up an account for Mr. Klang's children, will go along way healing and forgiving. What would the Amish do? They would forgive. If anyone has any ideas on a fund for the Klang children, please let me know.
by Rodney
A 15 year old knows it is wrong to take a gun to school, unless he is mentally handicapped to the point his IQ is 40 to 50. Mr. Klang was the victim here, not Eric. Eric may have had a hard time at home, but many teenagers have a hard time at home and do not commit violent crimes. My daughter is 8, and even she knows that it would be wrong to take a gun to school or to shoot someone.
by ginger
Rodney, uh huh, and do you wrestle her to the ground and force hot sauce down her throat? Did your wife take a chunk out of her stomach? Do you beat her with a belt? Does she basically raise herself? Do you leave her home alone on the weekends to see if the sump pump turns on? Do you weigh 400 lbs but make your little girl starve? Does she get a snack after school? Do you punish her with standing in prolonged positions like they did to the Iraq prisoners which has been deemed torture? Do you forget to pick her up from after school activities until 8:00pm? Do you slap her on the head and call her a moron in public? Does she go to school dirty? Does she get to have new clothes when she goes to school? Has she been sexually molested by anyone? ?Would you be angry if she was? Would you want to kill someone if they molested your little girl? Would you know that it is wrong? Would you report it to the authorities? Have you been charged with felony child abuse for kicking the crap out of your cute little 8 year old daughter? Do they call her a whore in school and rub up against her? Would you be mad if the school let it happen day after day? Would you personally want to kick the crap out of the kid who called your little girl a whore in school? Or more to the point a lesbian? Hmmmm. I wonder.
by foreverchanged9-29-06
o PLEASE ppl. u guys DID NOT LOOSE UR PRINCIPAL. if u think eric should be free.......u r soooooo fricken immature. i cannot believe it. how could u be on his side? do u know how HARD IT IS GOING TO SCHOOL W/O MR. KLANG? huh? well, maybe some of u should be in OUR shoes. how would u feel? i am crying rite now. do u know how much i have cried in the last past months? enough tears to use up prolly 10 or more kleenex boxes. our teachers DO pay attention to bullying and things. ya no, he BULLYED PPL TOO! HOW CAN U NOT UNDERSTAND THAT? he was not God's perfect angel. He was Hells perfect devil. i no that is mean, but it is the truth. SCREW U ALL.
by ginger
Foreverchanged, you are. I can't help but wonder if Eric is hells devil, then who would Hitler be? Are there different tiers of Hell? A hierarchy? Hitler systematically killed about 6 million innocent people. How can a 15 year old boy who accidentally killed his principal in a struggle, be equal to the devil? I guess it is all in the perspective.

All I am saying is that Eric should be charged and tried as the juvenile he is. He should get rehabilitation and counseling in the juvenile system, not the adult system. Vengence is not justice. The fact still remains that Eric was abused, bullied and abandoned. Those facts cannot be denied, covered up or swept away. There are two sides to every story, and what you are reading here at this website created FOR Eric, is the other side. Eric's side. You may not agree or even care, but nonetheless, those facts remain. There is alot more to this tragedy than the press is reporting and the officials are revealing. Please keep an open mind. Eric deserves and is guaranteed a fair trial and a vigorous defense that is based on truth and fact. The job of the prosecution is the get to the truth, not to go after revenge and retribution in a lynch-mob mentality on a 15 year old troubled boy.

BTW, is "prolly" a word? I had no idea that high school aged kids thought prolly was a word. I think your school could at least use a new spelling and grammer teacher. Are you a special needs student by any chance? Is that supposed to be "probably"? I'm hoping your post was typos and not spelling errors. Holy cow, something is off. What grade are you in?

by Mara Johnson (His Cousin)
If you knew eric from the heart like I did, you would think different. It was wrong for him to kill but there is no excuse for what all the kids and the teachers did to him. It makes me sick to think about how bad he was treated, I was harrased also but as I think of it never that bad.You people that think he's stupid or f***** up need to think that there are no heroes here, if there were he would not be sitting all alone, by himself. Us family from here love eric, we are behind him all the way. Oh! and also don't you think that all the people and kids and teachers that were invalved with this should get time to just like eric? I mean come on there just as guilty!!!
by Ginger
Ok about the gym teacher.... that is assault... he shoudl get somethign for it but i agree we shoudl keep the focus on eric....and his well being. i was actually in the court house today ( not because of eric) but i was one button away from being on the floor with all the defenders and such. u have no idea how bad i wanted to go in there. but that would have been to no use. and ppl should stop bullying. screw the teachers that say " oh its boys being boys" and wutnot well if "boys being boys" can lead to this y let it continue....even teachers in my school bully the kids. if they are labeled " trouble" kids they dont help them at all. one kid in my gym class gets picked on all the time and when he goes to the gym teacher for help the teachers yells at him for not participating and such when in actuality he wants to but isnt allowed to by the " jocks/preps" and the teacher is a coach so he doesnt disipline the ppl who should be the bullys.... its crap... so whenever we pick teams i ask the people who are hardly ever picked to be on my team. or if im in another class ill ask the quite ones to be my partner because no one else bothers to but thats highschool and even a cop friend of my fathers agrees... teachers do that and dont try to stop it...its crap

by ginger
the above comment actually was not posted by me, but by an anonymous guest who posted it at http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org and I decided to post it here. Sorry for the confusion.
by ginger
Eric's black eye came from the gym teacher. According to Eric's aunt, Eric was down and cuffed and the gym teacher was still slamming his face into the floor every time he tried to move his head, breaking his glasses. The gym teacher was the one that said Eric did the bullying not the bullies. He also was the one who humiliated Eric in front of the gym class asking him if he was the one from the Special Needs class. Sounds like he already had something in for Eric before all of this happened. The cops had to drag the gym teacher off of Eric.
by jen strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
eric2nd.jpg
Hey mara im glad to hear that u stand behind eric. im here supporting him also. im not his cousin or related to him in any way but we used to be close awhile ago. until that dumbass shawn threatned to kill me and i wasnt allowed anywhere near him and shawn moved him away. i would love it if we could get in touch sometime. plz email me at froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com
i keep this picture on my ipod and i look at it everyday. he is always in my thoughts
by ginger
Jen, why did Shawn Hainstock threaten to kill you? Was there a police report filed on that incident? If you don't want to say here, pm me from j4j or send me an e-mail or go to my Myspace. It is good that both of you girls are supporting Eric. It is so important that he is tried in juvenile court so that he can finally get the help he needs. He is a first time offender, nonviolent history, and no prior criminal history. He belongs in juvenile court.
by Mom
I think you people are crazy. Eric may have been teased but he also was the teaser. I have a high schooler at Weston, Eric was no dam angel. Our school system at Weston is a good one. Get your head out of your ass, you have to be a informed and an involved parent. He shot and killed someone oh and by the way if you don't think this is serious why not spend a night at my house where my two little children still have nightmares at least twice a week and they are in grade school and will have to go to this school for the rest of their lives. You people need to get more involved with your own children. And yes I understand disabilities, my own son has ADD, so to all you people who want to support him and get him out of jail and riase money for his release here's a little quote from Eric that he apparently said to the judge "let me out of jail so I can go finish the Job". If that is the case and you all want to support him and help him take him to your fucken town and to your school with your children and then he can finish the job somewhere else. A very upset parent
by Son
Hey Mom! Why don't you get your facts straight before coming here and spewing all your lies. If Eric really said that to the judge it would have been all over the news, don't you think?
YOU are the one who needs to get involved with your own children, and pull your own head out of your ass!
Kids who are bullied at school start to get into trouble because they no longer want to be perceived as a "fag" and want to put on a tough image, anything so other kids will stop picking on them. If you're a responsable parent you should have done some research on school shootings and bullying before going online last night and writing all that hateful crap.
And so what if your children have to live in fear for a few months? Did you ever stop and wonder what it must have been like for Eric who had to live in fear every single day of his life? Did you even read the comments on this page? Close friends of his say that the bullying at school was "real bad" and abuse from his father even worse. Are you saying that these girls are liars?
Yes I do feel bad for your children "Mom" not because they have nightmares but because they are obviously being raised by an ignorant bigot like yourself. I wonder what kind of adults they will turn out to be knowing that their Mom goes online to attack a 15 year old boy when he's down, wishing him to spend the rest of his life in an adult prison.
by Knight
Mom of children at Weston

Would you be so irate, if this had been YOUR son or daughter? I do not think so, Has your girls READ this posting of yours? Am sure they would be ashamed to let anyone know their MOM wrote such negative, nasty things here. It is only nature for all of us to be angry, but the anger is taken out on the wrong person, Eric is where he is today, because of the "adults" and other children in his world. He did NOT get there ALL BY HIMSELF. The "underlying factors" in this case, drove this child to do what he is alledged of doing. Anger, bitterness, vengful words and acts are NOT the solution. Tho many children DO get into trouble, they are still "children", and should NEVER be charged with ADULT SANCTIONS, but as a CHILD, he is. Where was his father? Where was his mother? The judge is a contributing factor in this case, as he is the very one that gave custody to the father, even AFTER abuse charges against the father, THEY WERE DISMISSED!! Perhaps if the judge had helped this child THEN, this incident would never have happened. Now this same judge is the one that has Eric under a 3/4 million dollar bond!!HELLOOOO!!!! The judge back then, should have placed this child in a structured enviornment THEN, so he could have gotten some help, he so desperately needed. Who is there for this child?
The emotional trauma is staggering for many to include ERIC. This incident could have been avoided, for he was desperately in need of help, and it is so obvious, NO ONE LISTENED!!!
Not saying at all, he is without fault somewhere here, but to "destroy" this child, is barbaric!!
Has society and the officials of America become so cold, so callous, so non caring for there "fellow man", that they are willing to yet "destroy" another life??? That is "state sanctioned murder".
by jamie carlson
Eric is a great guy i understand people are ticked at him but ive known him a long time and it ticks me off that
people say bad things about him hes awesome the people that talk smack about him dont know the real eric
i dont care who hates me for posting this but i feel the same way about people who say hes nothing but an idiot
i fell like smacking them so before u type somthing about eric think of how many people u r hurting!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Jamie Carlson
i miss eric a lot and i hate people for saying hes nothing but an a**hole hes awesome so
next time whatch what u type!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Darwin
The solution is get rid of him. Our society has no need for someone willing to murder another. Bullied or not there is no excuse for murdering another person. If you think that the law is wrong than you should change it. Violence shouldn't be rewarded with sympathy. When you don't fix a problem you make it bigger.
by James
Darwin it has been proven that rehabilitating criminals is more effective than incarcerating them. And maybe there IS an excuse for killing someone. Please allow me to follow you around for a few years and call you Faggot I'd bet my life that eventually you are going to snap and do something about it. Nobody here "sympathises" with Eric for what he's done. He should and will be punished for it. But we just think he should be tried as a juvenile. He is 15 years old after all. When most of us so-called adults were growing up, if we had committed this crime, we would have been tried as juveniles. Why should it be any different today?
by jami carlson (jamie_ carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
eric is awesome and im over my limit i luv him with all my heart and u
idiots who say he is a jerk u can kiss my butt because hes the best guy
in the world so whatch your freakin mouth befor u talk about my
sweetheart so any one that has beef with this e-mail me and ill give u
a piece of my mind i wont exprese on here because its a public site
so a gain whatch what u say got me
by Knight
jami carlson

Suggest to NOT waste your time in the negative posting here, and concentrate on how you can help Eric, your friend. Why not write the newspapers on how you feel, using tact of course, but letter writing to the officials, the judge, attorneys, newspapers, and of your friends that support Eric as the "child" he is, urge them to write letters as well. Young people ARE U.S. citizens, and come under the "constitutional laws" as well....innocence here UNTIL PROVEN "guilty, and even then, he is a "child", who should be "governed" in a "juvenile court", NOT as an adult, he clearly is NOT.

The "underlying factors", any and ALL factors must be brought forth, in seeking "justice" for this child.

Please consider using your time in a postive manner, to do what you can, to help your friend.
by Darwin
Just to clear things up. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were the Columbine shooters who made a huge bomb that they attempted to detonate in their school cafeteria. The women I know who were bullied all their lives, most of them still are. and Ms. Carlson, if you really were Mr. Hainstock's friend then I'm sure you heard him "joking" about shooting Mr. Klang and several other teachers, as many of his friends have reported. So my question to you is, why didn't you do anything about it? Because jokes about hurting people, frankly aren't funny.
by Columbine remembered
To the young people that may be in this forum, please research the Columbine tragedy in case you were too young to know anything of it and remember to tell authorities when any of your friends speak of harming anyone else in anyway. You can help your friends by speaking up and keep speaking up with your voice and not with weapons until you feel listened to. Someone will listen to you. This site is not a place for young people. Talk to your family or counselors about your feelings no matter what they are. Someone will listen in your community but do not spend time on this website. It is not meant to help anyone on any side of this issue. It just supports more violence if you read the article.
Jen, If you are 15 years old and were that young when Shawn Hainstock threatened you then file your own complaint about it now with the D.A. or get an attorney to sue the man for it. I would think the Reedsburg school district would have filed a complaint about it with the Reedsburg police. Are you saying that you only knew Eric in the second grade at Reedsburg or did you also move to the Weston school district when the Hainstocks moved there?
by jamie carlson
eric is a good person u guys and chicks that think hes an idoit im not holding back any more u guys are real jackasses u better shut the hell up
leave him alone u guys that say hes an idiot u dont know shit about eric
u keep the bullshit small talk 2 yourselves u people who say that he sucks
u get that shit from the damn media and the t.v. u guys who really know him hes nice so whatch what u say
by Knight
jamie carlson

Jamie, you are wasting your time here, why NOT use that time in a positive way, as I posted before, if you want to help your friend, do something about it in a positive way, instead of mouthing off here negatively, a total waste of your time. If you do indeed support your friend, Eric, then put together those positive thoughts and write them to the "officials", newspapers, the attorneys and the judge in this case. Unfortunately this forum board has turned into nothing more than people throwing negative postings at each other, NOT a solution, and DOES NOT help Eric.
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
why do people consist on treating eric like an animal and i am one of the few of erics freinds he deserves another chance at life......
o and whoever the knight is u can stop trying 2 be a boss and mind your own freaking
buissness and i will talk however i please so buzzzzzzz offffffffff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by pamkulig
Jen, consider filing a "John Doe Proceeding" against Shawn Hainstock if you feel he should be held responsible for his actions or inactions. It is perfectly legal and not hard to do. You need to get the form as it is called above (probably at the court house) and file it with the clerk of the court. Only a resident of Wisconsin can file this. Please consider it. It may be long overdue, but still necessary. Shawn Hainstock was negligent with guns and negligent with raising his son. It is the proper time to hold him responsible for what havoc he has wreeked on his son and the community. The judge who could have held him responsible when he was told of the "innuendo" of child abuse when Eric was a little boy, let it go uninvestigated and left Eric vulnerable and unprotected. It is time that someone held Shawn Hainstock responsible. Maybe it takes a child hood friend to finally do the right thing for Eric.
by pamkulig
http://www.silive.com/columnists/ledd/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1164111322101640.xml&coll=1

One preventable tragedy turned into yet another

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Eric's parents were divorced in September, 1995, when he was just a little boy. The presiding judge indicated in a written opinion that an "innuendo" of child abuse had emerged during the proceeding but provided no details.

In September, 2001, Eric's father, who had been awarded custody, was charged with felony child abuse for allegedly inflicting a series of bizarre punishments on the then-11-year-old boy. According to the criminal complaint, his father kicked him multiple times in the hip and poured hot peppers and sauce down the youngster's throat.

The abuse case was resolved when the father pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was ordered not to have unsupervised visitation with Eric, a directive that lasted only a year and a half.

According to sources quoted by the Wisconsin State Journal, other extraordinary punishments were meted out to Eric by his father. On one occasion, the child tried to say something at the dinner table, but because he interrupted the adults, his father reportedly made him stand for a half- hour with his nose touching a wall and his leg elevated and contorted behind his back so that it rested against his buttocks.

Witnesses stated that on other occasions the father consigned Eric to the dark basement of the family home, humiliated him in public by calling him a "retard," struck him on the head, and forced him to run around the driveway of the family's rural home 50 times until he turned beet red.

This past September, Eric showed members of his youth group a human bite mark that had been inflicted on him at home. One source told the newspaper that it was as if Eric could do nothing right, and another stated that the boy was treated like a dog that is kept tied up.

Eric didn't fare much better at school.

Enrolled in a program for children with emotional and behavioral deficits, he was often relegated to wearing the same clothes for several days in a row. One student told the Wisconsin State Journal that Eric may have been the most picked on student in the entire school. Eric, himself, bitterly recounted the relentless bullying to which he was subjected, and his constantly being taunted as a "fag" and "faggot."

A FATEFUL DAY

On the morning of Sept. 29, 2006, 15-year-old Eric Hainstock allegedly walked into Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wis., armed with a shotgun and a handgun. Although a custodian managed to wrest the shotgun from him, Eric allegedly shot and killed Principal John Klang with the handgun. The boy is now charged as an adult with intentional homicide in the first degree and if convicted, faces life imprisonment.

Eric reportedly told police that he was pushed over the edge by the constant bullying and wanted "to confront the students and teachers and principal with guns to make them listen" to him.

Emotional abuse is more insidious in nature and protracted in consequence than physical abuse. The reports emerging in this case strongly suggest that Eric Hainstock was routinely subjected to a concurrence of both.

In this regard, it's cruelly ironic that the judge who insisted on fixing bail at $750,000 for this mere child, was the same jurist who presided over, but never followed through, on the "innuendo" of child abuse that arose during the course of his parents' divorce case.

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 fellow students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colo., and then committed suicide. Both of the young shooters had been the targets of thuggish bullies who derived perverse pleasure out of making their lives miserable.

If somebody -- anybody -- at that school had intervened to offer Harris or Klebold meaningful protection, or, perhaps even the hand of friendship, that terrible tragedy might well have been averted. Instead, people who could have helped simply looked the other way until blazing guns commanded their attention.

After the Columbine incident, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education launched the Safe School Initiative to determine what could be done to prevent future school shootings.

Focusing on 37 such incidents, the study made several not-so-surprising findings. For example, three-quarters of the young perpetrators had suffered severe, ongoing bullying. In many of these cases, the resultant emotional damage had a significant impact on the attackers and was a key factor in their decision to strike out against the school.

Another important finding was that the incidents were rarely sudden, impulsive acts. Rather, most attackers displayed some behavior in advance of the occurrence that clearly indicated a need for intervention.

PREDATOR BULLIES

Future school shootings are going to occur even if the best conceived strategies are diligently implemented. Still, the number of such incidents can be significantly reduced if schools stop viewing bullies as an unpleasant but inevitable part of an adolescent environment. They are, in fact, dangerous predators and should be dealt with as such. Their victims almost necessarily become kids at risk who, at the very least, are entitled to be protected by the same government that forces them to attend school in the first place.

Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin, Eric Hainstock has finally gotten people to notice. Most, however, won't get past the fact that he shot his school's principal. So as prosecutors con people into believing that an abused kid is an adult killer, people will sit idly by as they systematically turn one preventable tragedy into yet another.

Daniel Leddy's On The Law column appears each Tuesday on the Advance Op-Ed Page. His e-mail address is JudgeLeddy [at] si.rr.com.



© 2006 Staten Island Advance
© 2006 SILive.com All Rights Reserved.

Judge Leddy is a retired Juvenile Judge who writes a twice monthly law column in the Staten Island Advance.
by Jamie Carbonneau
Hey Jamie! My name is Jamie too :)

I think that Knight didn't mean to be "bossy" to you. I think she was just pointing out to you that there's other websites with people who really care about Eric. Did you go to http://www.justiceforjuviniles.org yet? Look under modules/forums/15 year old..." and you'll see a forum dedicated to Eric.
Also, did you sign the petition to have Eric tried as a juvenile instead of as an adult? If not, here you go: (if you don't want to read it scroll down to bottom of page)
http://www.petitionsdirect.com/showpetition.php?id=justiceforjuveniles.org

So Jamie we'd love to hear from you over on justiceforjuveniles.org And don't worry there's nobody saying anything bad about Eric there.
Have you heard from Eric lately? Do you know if he's doing ok? Please come and let us know. From, Jamie C.
by Jamie C.
Sorry it's http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org I had spelled it wrong ;)
by Knight
(quote)I think that Knight didn't mean to be "bossy" to you(unquote) Thank you, so true, was only trying to help, and encourage those who support Eric, to get involved in his support, if one is Eric's friend, and wants to help him, then please persue ways on how you can help.....Am sure Eric would be happy to know there are many "out here" speaking up for him, he is a child and desperately needs our voices of support. There are many good people out here trying to help and make a difference for Eric, and so many other children caught up in such terrible situations. Check out the support forums, and encourage people to speak up and get involved. Two wonderful lady advocates has created a my space support page for Eric to help spread the word of support for him http://www.myspace.com/erichainstock http://www.whoopassforjustice.org
by pamkulig
http://www.myspace.com/erichainstock
by pamkulig
sign Eric's petition at his Myspace. Thanks
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
knight and readers im sorry i said those things i lost my head for a minute im still tryin 2 cope with him being gone im really sorry i hope u forgive me but i have known him 4 a long time and was i was shocked to know
he would do somthing like that so please can u guys forgive me???
i hope u can.
sincerly,jamie carlson
by pamkulig
Of course we forgive you Jamie. No one is mad at you at all. You are confused and in pain. This site only aggravates those feelings because of the nasty and spiteful comments being made here. Eric was your friend and still is. Nothing can or will change that. Don't read the nasty stuff. People who do not seek the truth aren't worth worrying about. You need to go past that and do the right thing for Eric, which is to remain positive and to write to him at the jail and tell him that you care and that you know he is not the person who snapped that day under the pressure of continued abuse and predator bullying. This is what he needs to hear and no one here can stop you or make you think otherwise. They are entitled to believe what they wish and feel what they want, but so are you. So chin up and maybe become his friend on his MySpace. Send him a message there. We may be able to send him those sometime down the road. Jamie, remain a friend of Eric's. He needs you now more than ever.
by Knight
jamie carlson

Pain and heartache, unfortunately comes in many forums, this one is no different, many are in pain and ache for this child. He indeed needs his friends and supporters more than ever. As suggested by Pam, write to him, as you can, let him know you are "out there" in his support.
Your comments are important to him, let him know "you care". Please also utilize the contact info for officials, writing them, in support of keeping his case in "juvenile court", for the "child" he is. It is understandable for you to be upset and lash out, and am not angry with you, and suggest to "focus" that energy on things that would be positive for Eric, because he is your friend. Thank you, your notes are appreciated. Drop by sometime and visit Eric's my space page ok? http://www.myspace.com/erichainstock

Thanks

Knight
by PROLLY PROLLY PROLLY
ginger, i dont really give a crap if "prolly" is a word. it is short for probably. no, i am not a special needs student. hmmm r u? sounds like it. btw, im an all 'a' student. does it matter what grade im in? i dont think so. who cares anyway? and ya know, hitler was a long time ago, and this was 2 months ago. which is more important? this whole thing just ruins my day. thanx, yal for supporting eric. i hope u no im being sarcastic. god, i so much miss my PRINCIPAL WHO GAVE HIS LIFE
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
knigt when im at home i feel every one hates me i want 2 commit suicide i dont know what 2 do anymore if u have answers help please halp me and anyone who has answers please help me.

p.s.dont be shocked if i dont talk 4 weeks bye 4 now...


p.s.s im going on vacation thats why im not going to be on bye bye
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
who ever prolly prolly prolly is stop being a bi*** to people im not usually this mean but use manners on a public
site u need to be nice or u wont get far on enternet life we are all going through a bad time just be nicer to people because noone needs attitude right no k....
by JamieC.
Hi Jamie,
I've been trying to email you but your address won't work.

My advice to you is that you talk to an adult who you can trust. There are also many hotlines you can call. And if it comforts you at all please know that if you're really down in the dumps then there's only one place to go from there, and that's up!

I understand why you feel depressed. Some of these people are vicious and heartless. You are better than them Jamie! Don't let them bring you down. They are just pathetic ignorant bigots so don't give them the power to control you. Try to stick with those of us who share your opinions and ignore all the assholes. Maybe if we ignore them enough they will go away.

Anyway hang in there Jamie, and try to enjoy your vacation! And most importantly, try to talk with someone about how you're feeling. Your friend, JamieC.
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
enternet freinds im back whats new? me im better talked 2 eric this morning and told him about everyone and he says thank u but he should call back tommorow and mabey i can go see him soon i hope so any way.
by pamkulig
Jaimie, I am glad you got to talk to Eric. You won't be so distressed if you know how he is doing. I have heard he is doing fine where he is. Keep talking to him and writing him, it will help you cope. And yes, the thing about being down in the dumps is you can only go up. Depression is cyclical and will go away in time. It is basically a phase, a terrible one. Just keep you chin up and think positive thoughts and know that there are supporters out here who care about Eric and are doing everything they can to help him. He has a good team of attornies. Good to hear you feel better.

by jamie carlson
hey me again i just want 2 tell u guys thanks 4 supporting eric and i know hw really apreciates it and the next time i talk 2 him ill tell him u say hi so bfn ttyl

sincerly, jamie carlson
by JamieC.
Hi Jamie!
Glad to see that you're feeling better. We all need to be strong if we're going to support Eric.
I never did see you around at http://www.justiceforjuveniles.org but I guess I can't force you there can I.
I write to Eric every week so next time you talk to him tell him Jamie in Canada says Hi and Write Back!

Eric's next court date is Jan. 30th so wishing him luck! Until then...
by for Sue
to James Carbonneau i know u weren't talking to me but i dont care.No i dont really want to sypothize with him because what he did was wrong he killed someone who DIDN'T turn his back on ANYBODY and you know what i get bullied to people push me around and call me names including faggot but thats part of everyday life thats in EVERY school i get made fun of because im different but you dont see me killing my principle SO DON'T YOU DARE SAY that John turned his back on eric because all eric had to do was go talk to John and the other teachers and it all would have been worked out.......thats what i did with my principle and well things are going quite well i even talked to the people (with the principle by my side) that were doing that stuff to me and i didnt have to kill anyone in the prosses and you tell foreverchanged to put him/herself in erics shoes well why dont you? i know if i were eric i woulndt have done that i would have talked it out im not saying i hate erci at all at times yeah i feel like i hate him but i dont what he did was wrong stupid and soo soo so hurtful because he took away someones father son husband and brother now how would you feel if eric killed someone in your family huh? think aobut that because thats the REAL question what if he killed someone in your family?now john can never go home to his wife or children and tell them how me he loves them or his nieces and nephews brothers and sisters aunts uncles mother or father or cousins or anybody else in his family.so just ask yourself what if, just what if?
by for SUE
what? you say that John did nothing for him.Well if erci would have told him what was going on and just TALKED to him and those who were harrassing him then he wouldnt had to "fight back" neways where does this "fight back" come from thats not fighting back thats killing someone for no reason but your feelings were hurt or but that boy called me names....well that happens EVERYDAY EVERYWHERE people get their feelingfs hurt get made fun of get called names like faggot and worse people like me but you know what i do i get over it or talk to someon and i also use the energy that when i get mad cause i got called names i use that energy or adrenaline and run around or punch a pillow or something that doesnt involve hurting OR killing others.COMMON SENSE PEOPLE!!!
by JamieC.
SUE before you embarass yourself any further, I would suggest you look up the facts before posting all that nonsense you wrote. Eric DID in fact tell his principal about his problems being bullied, and felt that the principal did nothing to stop it. I know that's still not an excuse to kill someone, but none of us are saying he should be "freed" if you'd care to read over these posts (and maybe learn English first?). He's 15 years old and should be in a juvenile detention center, NOT in a prison with adults!

Putting him into an adult prison for life with no parole isn't going to bring back Mr. Klang. I understand your frustrations that nobody here seems to be discussing the fact that so many people lost a dear loved one, but there are so many factors in this case that need to be considered before just deciding for yourself that "Eric killed, so he should rot in prison", the first being that he's a minor.

Also, am I the only one who finds it ODD that someone named SUE gets called "faggot" at school? Are kids these days calling little girls "faggot"??? Or maybe you're a "boy named SUE" like that good old song by Johnny Cash?

Listen Sue, I respect your opinion, but your argument is that Eric should have sat down and talked to Klang. So now that you know that he DID talk to Klang about his problems first, with no results, have you changed your opinion? Do you REALLY honestly believe that a 15 year old should be in prison with adults, regardless of his/her crime? Let me know...
by jamie carlson
Sue this site is used 2 support eric not 2 fight with people so loosen up put your opinion on erics situation not your pleasure so if u want 2 argue get another site to do that at.
by Questioning young males???
If everyone who was ever teased at school or by siblings at home or at work got guns, (after prying open locks and stealing a car), shot and killed the teaser, it would be safer to live in Iraq. It just is not acceptable and not an excuse for murder. Probably 100 percent of Americans have been teased at some time in their life and did not see it as a reason to kill someone. Why is it that male teenagers see it as a reason to kill? Youn females rarely have or will and are probably "harrassed" much more than young men ever especially sexually harrassed. Whatever happens to Eric now, I hope he is in a facility that gets him the help he so obviously needs for himself and to protect society. Violence is wrong.
by Parents who care?
This is from WSJ article and says alot about the immediate family and extended family. Where were the aunts uncles and grandparents who have reported what happened in his home.
"Another friend of the family who insisted on anonymity said Hainstock suffered most from being the victim of a broken home, "a situation that made it very difficult for him to feel loved."

"You know the saying 'It takes a village to raise a child.' It's so false," the friend said. "It doesn't take a village; it takes two loving parents, and Eric doesn't have that."

Or aunts or uncles or grandparents to adopt him either I guess? Family abuse correlates to criminal behavior alot more than teasing does. We would all be criminals if that is all it takes to commit an act of violence. Everyone has been teased, been the victim of name-calling, harrassed, bullied at some time in this life or atleast most people have. It is not a criminal activity so if you people are so upset about bullying going on in America, why not try to make laws making it a criminal activity. I don't see anyone doing that! Family abuse is a criminal activity and so is killing someone.
by Knight (kidsincourt1 [at] roadrunner.com)
"It is not a criminal activity so if you people are so upset about bullying going on in America, why not try to make laws making it a criminal activity. I don't see anyone doing that!"

Indeed many good people "out here" ARE campaigning to get the laws changed "governing" "children", to include this "bullying", which many adults are so guilty of as well. There are many child justice support organizations around the world, to include Amnesty International, fighting for these children each and every day. Yes, indeed, we care, it is a criminal activity, and laws should be in place to govern this barbaric act. What ever happened to "compassion", "mercy" and the right to be a "human being".?? We campaign for Eric and all the children to be treated as the child they are, NOT as an adult, with adult sanctions.
by nikki (nikki_mars06 [at] hotmail.com)
i dont know what to think anymore i dont know what to do. i too dated eric and he was such a lovining, caring person but i dont know what to do thinking about everything that has happend is eating me up inside i dont know if i need help or what. but thats not the worst part. i go to school in Reedsburg and i was having a good day on fri, you know end of the week and i had a football game to go to that night for band, well 8:30 rolls around and im almost done with a lesson and the school calls a code red which happens pretty often but this lasted the whole day and im thinking what the hell is going on well the teachers get an e-mail saying theres been a shooting at weston im like oh shit. well i get on the bus that day with my friend jackie and we get to my place, the first thing i do is go and call eric.... no answere i call him an hour later same thing no answere well i say to myself it couldnt have been him. well my parents were packing up to go to illinois and i was going to stay at jackies all weekend so they get done packing take me jackie my friend zakk and his sister to the game. yea it was fun till it was over 1030 rolls around and im waiting for zakks mom to pick us up to go to jackies and im standing around and my friend crystal walks over and im talking to her and i asked her to use the phone i did and i went to go call eric and while the phone was ringing i heard crystal say so jackie do you know who shot the principal at weston jackie says no then crystal is like well my dads a cop and i think he said it was some kid named Eric Hainstock i turned around and jackies like omg and i drop the phone and start crying that was one of the worst moments of my life well we sat there for a while waiting for zakks mom to pick us up. she finally got there and im just like fuck it i need to go to my house. we get to my house and jackie and i were talking and shes like do you know what the principals name was and i said no so shes like well just wait ill call my mom and find out well she does and jackie turned around and told me she didnt want to tell me his name well i found out sooner or later that it was Mr. John Klang. heres a whole new pile of shit well his cousin Mr. Bill Klang is my biology teacher and his son Jeremy is in Band with me and so now im stuck on both sides of this shit and i feal so guilty and i dont know what to do i mean yea some people are on erics side and some are on klangs side what am i supposed to do??? i mean seriously this is tearing me apart i want to tell mr. klang everything but dont know how. yes ive had a chance to talk to guidence but didnt take it i told my math teacher mr. bauer but other than that i dont know how to get a conversation started or what to do. i mean everyone thinks im such a cool happy person when really they dont know the half of it. for anyone who reads this please write me on what you think it would make me feel better Nicole
by BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS
This is by a person who was shot and his girlfriend died in a shooting rampage at another school. It is about bullying, depression, coping and freedom to vent. This kid will respond to you personally. This site is for anyone who needs someone to listen. Kids/teenagers venting. Talke to this person!
by SOMEONE WHO REALLY KNOWS
http://www.killthinking.com/mission

This is a much better and direct link to the site.
by FOR sue
ok jamie carlson John Klang was my cousins uncle and it hurts his family us sooo much so dont tell me to knock it off u obviously dont know wat its like to go to skool one morning and hear talk about some man being shot and then in skool find out its someone in ur family ohhh and i go to skool wit a girl thats in love wit him im NOT tryin to say hes a bad kid in the respect of knowing him cuz i dont know him that well im really pissed of that he desicded to go kill my uncle because a bunch of dumbasses kept calling him names..WELL u know wat i get called things like that by some and others say im lesbian and other horrible things and my home life aint to great but i didnt kill anybodies uncle or father os cousin or brother or son or husband becuz of it...so BACK OFF!!!
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
excuse me u aint the only one who lost some one they love i knew john klang and eric and i am pissed that eric killed him but the world dont revolve around u so whatch what u say to other people befor u go around saying stupid shit like that and i understand that u hate eric but its not up 2 u for what people say so before u go tell me to back off thonk about yourself.
by frilly
I just want to comment on Eric. I knew Eric. And when you make a comment like people rubbed up against Eric and called him a whore. You are wrong. Eric made sexual comments to adult women in school and how he knew their husbands were pretty lucky in bed. This wasn't a case of a kid being totally bullied. Eric brought it on himself. He had lots of support from teachers and Mr. Klang. Why did he always voluntarily sit by Mr. Klang at lunch, if he hated him so much. Mr. Klang brought clothes for Eric, he was there for him. If Eric was so tortured from kids at school. Why did he spend the entire week before that making homecoming hall decorations and toiletpapering with fellow classmates? Look at the entire picture. I believe Eric was totally abused by his Father and was the night before the shooting after he returned from toilet papering. He couldn't take anymore of his father and so blamed school authorities. Eric knew what he was doing. He is guilty. And needs to pay for what he has done. It is not acceptable for any one child or not to shoot someone if things aren't going as they want them too. What a sick world we live in. And where were the Quaker Church people when Eric needed them. Eric showed them the bite marks, they took pictures. Why is the school blamed for that when they weren't even aware of it. Why didn't the Quaker church take it to the authorities. Where were his relatives? Don't blame the school system alone. Many times their hands are tied.
by a weston student
WHO EVER SAYS ERIC SHOULD BE FREE , WELL, SCREW YOU! He said ppl picked on him.. ya right. kids in my class were picked on by him he was mean. He had no reason to kill Mr. Klang , the nicest , gentlest person on this universe. Do you know what this put us through? Not only was homecoming canceled, but everyone was changed. Our school was full of laughter before. Not for about 2 monthes did ppl start laughing again. IT SUCKED! Forever Changed is my friend and she rox. And whoever thinks she's a freak... YOU'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME FIRST. Eric Hainstock should be put in prison for good for what he did.
by Knight
"Eric Hainstock should be put in prison for good for what he did."

This whole incident has caused broken hearts and shattered lives, and no one seems to care at all about Eric........we have not walked in this child's shoes/or his life at home or school. Anger/bitterness/hurt/heartache override everything else. I hope in time, the healing process will begin, and soften hearts, and take away your pain and anguish. Just please remember also, we have NOT walked in HIS SHOES/his life!!!

You can use your energies to help make things in your school and community "better' for other children, helping others in a variety of ways, to make yourself happy as well as others, help with an anti bullying program, talk to your friends, start your own group club to help other children, perhaps good therapy for the soul, uh?
by A Friend Too
ERic went to the Friends Church his whole life and knew that killing is wrong. The people at the Friends Church group were wrong in not calling the police to check out his bite marks as that is either clearly abuse from somewhere or perhaps from a dog or something. It is just wrong not to call police in such a situation in my opinion. I strongly disagree with this Friends Church groups' behavior in this situation. Religious groups such as the Catholic Church or any other religion have to call authorities in these situations period. It is not to be "prayed over" and let go. Perhaps it would have stopped the escalation of events and removed this person from a situation that ended in guns and violence which is NOT taught by this religion or any other Christian religion. Eric knew that. How will he know right from wrong and heal from his ability to kill others unless he gets support to do that by facing the consequences of his actions.
by God Bless ALL
This seems like a positive and realistic article by those who were there in the community unlike these outside groups supporting juveniles vs. adult court issues. Thank goodness for the court system that finds the facts for jurors to consider and not rumor and gossip.
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/today/480.htm
by jamie carlson
u know alot of people care about eric i dont care what happens no one will leave eric for any thing and he has freinds that care deeply about him and his girlfreind samantha johnson cares for him to we need to stay together and try to help erics sittuation and he needs us to stay withg him he does not need people to abandon him i have known eric for a very long time and he is very caring and considerate i will always care for eric no matter what i am probabally not goin to mtalk to eric for a long time but what eric really needs is to know that people still care abou him and hope maybe things can turn out ok for him and i want to say thanks on erics behalf and i know he will appreciate all of the supporters so this is my judgement and thanks again

Jamie Carlson
by tracy clark (rgumall [at] sbcglobel.com)
i know what he did was so wrong, but it's seems to me that the system failed to see that eric was hurting and was not loved the way a 15 year old should be loved and that there was no real guidence, to make sure you was going down the right path. I feel he would be treated better if he was put somewhere where he could get some couseling instead of prison with a bunch of men where he could get more unfair treatment. I feel he has been mistreated enough. It's time someone could spend some time with him instead of more nasty treatment.
Too many kids are being tormented, too many authorities are looking the other way. It should be no surprise thaty these things happen. Punish the system, not the victim. Good luck to Eric.
by dale moscrip (dmoscrip [at] famousfootwear.com)
Just like most others in a position of authority in a small redneck town, he did not care.
by BB
ERic h. is some one who everyone hates because he pisses off the wrong people and he killed the most loved person in that school and i know him even though i live in MN im a past student of Weston high school and i was on his football team when he was an 8th grader and he had friends. I HATE HIM for what he did and he should get life FOREVER
by Knight
"I HATE HIM for what he did and he should get life FOREVER"

YOU have NOT walked in HIS shoes< there will come a day, YOU may want and need help, what if NO one listens???? Anger, bitterness and hate overpowers one's sense of "reasoning".
I hope you NEVER have to go thru what Eric has, in his young life.
Appreciate the fact you have YOUR freedom, and strongly urge you to CHERISH IT EACH DAY.
by Challenge to AMERICAN IDOL
How do children know the differnce between "TV" bullying as is done by the judges on shows like "American Idol" and the kind not to do in "real" life?

Why don't we have the judges of shows like American Idol do a public service announcement "not to try this at home or school" before every show because I don't think kids or adults really see that as the same thing that we expect them NOT to do to others?

Or Rosie and Donald and their ongoing bully fest and name-calling? Really, how do parents or schools overcome that influence with anti-bully programs when the latest polling shows most kids want to be rich and famous first and foremost?

Why don't we all challenge shows like American Idol or celebrities to make a difference in America?

We are all hypocrites in my opinion. If you really feel that juveniles aren't mature enough to use good judgement then perhaps it is because of the media influence. At what age can children distinguish from TV or movie bullying and real life do you think? It would make a big difference if we all really objected to bullying shown on TV, Internet, Movies, --they all play a really big part in the lives of teenagers these days. Probably more than school officials or anti-bullying policies.

We are all hypocrites in America. Anyone who watches American Idol and decries bullying is a fooling themselves.
by jamie carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
excuse me i know 1 thing people who sit there and talk about eric dont really know him so bb before u go and open your mouth remember there are alot of people whocare about eric and your pissing those people off so whatch what u say
by BB
Knight
guess what i was in his shoes and guess who was the one bulling me ERIC WAS!!!! and day after day i would take it AND i didnt kill Mr John Klang or any onelse for that matter and last but not least HE KILLED SOME ONE IF YOU HAVENT NOTICED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Bob Lindmeyer
So the kid had a bad home life, what does that have to do with the school pricinpal if he had a problem with his dad or step mom why didn't he kill them. John Klang gave him a lot of chances to become a better person he would talk to him on a regular basis and other stuff like that, so i ask one question why would you shoot the person that gave you your only chance in life
by ept
He was an adult the moment he picked up the gun and decided to use it against someone.
by BB
I agree with ept he was an adult when he picked both of those guns up and he tried to use them on way more peopl than just John Klang
by rodney
He knew that shooting someone was wrong, yet he did it anyway. He killed an innocent person, and has caused so much grief to an innocent family. He should stay in prison forever so that things like this never happen again. I sure would not want him walking around my neighborhood again. A question to his supporters....what would you think if it was a relative or loved one of yours that he killed? I doubt if you would be saying the same thing.
by edgrimly
You cant honestly be serious...you are championing someone who took another life in cold blood. It makes me sick that you could even think that what this punk did was right.
by RAL
I don't know Eric, but I think there is something quite a bit larger at stake here. All you supporters of Eric would spend your time much better contributing time or money to programs that help people LIKE Eric. I am all for helping the down trodden. I am, not so much, for helping murderers. Big picture here. You gain enough support to in some way seriously help Eric, say by getting him tried in a juvenile court. The message that is sent is: I as a teenager, better get my killing in now so I can get tried in a juvenile court. Laughing? There are many gangs in the US that actively use such practices and the more precedents you give defense lawyers the harder it will be to try any minor in adult court. Feel for Eric, send him your love and emotional support, let him pay for his crime.
by someone
I am a Senior at Weston and I was in the school that day and I know how scary it is and if you all think that he should get out because you feel sorry for him well that is bullshit because I was picked on just as bad and I never dreamed of shooting anyone or even hurting anyone. If you think that he was just picked on well think again he was picking on others just as much and his home life he should have never have brought that shit to school. So if you think that he got the job done, well he may have but he also hurt a lot more people than just Mr. Klang's family he hurt everyone that knew Mr. Klang. I was Mr. Klang's neighbor and lived next to him for most of my life and when ever I needed help he was there for me. So I think that Eric should ROT IN PRISON FOR ALL I CARE. He made adult decision so he should be treated as an adult!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by weston student
You people who dont even know us need to stop saying stuff that u dont know. I wouldn't call myself Eric's friend, but i did talk to him, we rode the same bus and we often talked together. To set things straight, Eric wasn't used as a "jock's" punching bag, and people didn't call him "faggot" just to do it. When he presented himself with the maturity that a 15 year old would present themselves with, nobody did anything to him, didnt lay a hand on him, and if they did, and if he even told a teacher,(which he usually didn't), they did something about it, they did not ignore him, or suppress him. You wouldn't believe what Mr. Klang did for Eric, he was one fighting to get Eric moved to a better home, so please don't talke bad about Mr. Klang, he did a world of good. I just wanted to express my feelings, thank you.
by Weston Student
You people out there who dont even know us need to stop saying stuff that u dont know. I wouldn't call myself Eric's friend, but i did talk to him, we rode the same bus and we often talked together. To set things straight, Eric wasn't used as a "jock's" punching bag, and people didn't call him "faggot" just to do it. When he presented himself with the maturity that a 15 year old would present themselves with, nobody did anything to him, didnt lay a hand on him, and if they did, and if he even told a teacher,(which he usually didn't), they did something about it, they did not ignore him, or suppress him. You wouldn't believe what Mr. Klang did for Eric, he was one fighting to get Eric moved to a better home, so please don't talke bad about Mr. Klang, he did a world of good. I just wanted to express my feelings, thank you. P.S. For Klang family's sake, please stop using deragatory comments towards John.
by tjp
I cant even believe what i am reading. You people seriously are screwed up. This is the first time i have read something like this and i am appalled that you can actually think any of that. The reality of the situation is Eric Hainstock killed John Klang, not an evil oppressor, but a caring human being. Eric was not man enough to deal with his problems in an educated and civilized manor so he shot his principle. The fact is tons of kids deal with these problems every day, and i dont see them shooting their principles every time something goes wrong in their life. You know why? Because their not dumbasses like you and eric who think up this evil shit because you all cant deal with your own problems like civil human beings. All of you that think eric should be free make me sick.
by A Weston student..
I too am a student at weston... I woke up that Friday just Like I always do, went to school just Like I always do...and not 20 minutes after arriving, the day had changed forever.. I myself was not out in the hallway, but it all happened right ouside the door of the room I was in..My principal was murdered in front of my locker.. in main hall that we hang out in everyday...Like I said, I myself was not in the hall, but my to best friends in the whole world happend to be walking right across from the entrance when Eric came in with the guns.. Do you know how much I wonder if something would have triggered his anger even more, and he would have shot my best friends??..Or if not them, the one teacher who was standing right there who I admire more than words can say..I do understand how all you people can say yes he was made fun of by so called "jocks" and "preps"...I will tell you something, if you walked into my school you would not know how to distinguish a "prep" from a "loser".. we dont have cliques and we dont gang up on kids who we dont like.. everyone says mean things to everyone, its high school...If theres anything a person should know when they're in high school its that no matter how bad it is for them, igh school is only a small small part of your life and when you get out into the "real" world you will look back and realize none of it mattered, it wont matter if you were prom queen or captain of the football team...none of it matters...I highly doubt that what happened in the school is the cause of what Eric did..Had his home life been different, I really do feel like this never would have happened..yes, its true, this kid was messed up in the head... and when people say the teachers never did anything to help him, I for one KNOW that there were teachers who did help him out, I know of a time when he did not have boots and it was winter so one of the teachers brought him boots to wear and there was another time when his shoes were in poor condition and a teacher provided him with shoes to wear...there was another instance when Eric had come to school with broken glasses and a teacher asked him what had happened and he said that he broke them and his dad said eric had to find money to buy new ones if he wanted them..the teachers do care..you people are not there, you do not know what really goes on.. Eric had thrown a stapler at a teacher and yes MR. Klang took action, but what else could he do?? Eric was caught chewing is school and Mr. Klang took action.. again what else could he do? I know Mr. Klang gave Eric another chance...John Klang did nothing but try to help Eric, but still being the authority figure that his job required of him... I know some of you want to believe it was all the kids and teachers faults..but I walk down the halls of my school five days a week... and I know that my peers are not capable of causing someone to kill a man...It took way more than name calling and bullying to bring forth his rage...I do have to say that If it was up to me, I would say keep him in prision for life... he may die on the inside, but if he is released, he won't live on the outside...Do you think that people are going to just let Eric live amongst them after what has happened? Its not gonna happen... He has a better chance of surviving in prision... and like other people have said, he became an adult the second he chose to pick up those guns...he cleaned out his locker the day before.. he knew what he was doing.. and if your gonna be adult enough to shoot someone and know what your doing because you planned it, then your adult enough to be tried as an adult...I will be going to his trial next week..along with my friends who have to speak in front of the court with eric sitting right in front of them...I cant imagine having to look at his face...I myself dont know how well I will be able to handle being in the same room with Eric... Its a horrible thought, but I feel like I need to be there...I am sorry for the life Eric lived, but for the live he will live, I have no sorrow whatsoever... and If he ends up being tried as a juvenile.. I will be in complete disgust to know that someone who is capable of something like this, is free to do it again... and who's to say that someday if he is free, that someone wont set him off and he could murder another innocent person... I'd hate to feel the guilt of the people who supported freeing him, especially if he killed someone that mattered to them... Put yourself in our shoes...Just stop blaming people that you know nothing about...there's a saying, "you are responsible for you"...he acted and I pray to god he will face the consequences...

by kjb
I just wanted to say, You said it very well Weston Student. All of the Weston Students, staff, and community were victims in the tragedy. They are all suffering and hurting and the hearing won't be easy for anyone. Stand proud that you are from Weston. Justice must prevail.
God Bless you All.
by Jamie Carlson (jamie_carl_ [at] yahoo.com)
wut up people u know i fully understand why people hate eric but hes my cuz and i am gettin sick of people talkin shit about him i will not express my self further if u got beef wit me or eric e mail me and ill set u right
by One of Eric's Many Cousins
I am infinitely saddened by all of this. The day of the shooting, I left school early and went up to our Grandma (Hainstock's) house to be with the family and await news regarding John's condition. When we heard he passed, we were all devastated, and none more so than his father. This was not the Eric I knew. The Eric I knew enjoyed laughing and playing. Wrestling with the bigger boys (like the rest of us boys). I still have pictures of him playing the christmas prior. He seemed to love his family as much as we love him. He seemed so happy in those pictures.

First, I'd like to clear up a piece of misinformation that has really been bugging me personally. Those abuse charges that were brought against Eric's father were dropped for the simple reason that they were untrue. Eric had lied to a teacher, claiming that a bruise was from his father, with whom Eric was angry at for sending him to his room the previous day. The bruise however, it was determined, was from a fall that happened when he was outside playing. He eventually told the truth and it was verified by another person. A social worker kept an eye on the household until it was determined that there was no abuse in the house. On a more personal level, the many times that I was around Eric and his father (my uncle), I saw absolutely no abuse, and nothing out of the ordinary between the two.

I am not stating that his home life was perfect, or even as comfortable as yours or mine may be. But I think it was far from the nightmare so many jump at the opportunity to paint it as.

I personally hope they don't try Eric as an adult, but I do feel he needs to be away until he's at least 25. I don't think he will be able to appreciate freedom unless he lives without it for awhile. At the same time, he will be missing out on valuable opportunities to learn how to deal with the harsh realities of life properly. The opposite could be argued, however, that 10 years in prison would allow him to recieve the kind of rehabilitating treatment that will help him re-establish a successful and productive role in society (I bet the original poster is burning mad at that comment, but I believe it's truely necessary in our world).

I guess I don't know what the right answer is, but I believe at 25, he will have grown older and missed out on enough to understand the gravity of his actions, but hopefully will still be young enough to be able to have a successful restart to his life.

All I know is that we (the Hainstock Family), would like you to keep John Klang, Erick Fitchel (the Weston boy killed in the car accident that morning),thier families, and the families and friends of all of those affected, in your thoughts, and if you so choose, your prayers.

I'd also like to ask for the same for Eric Hainstock, even if you think "he should rot". He was a 15 year old boy when this happened. It's not excusing his actions by any means, but what 15 year old boy ever thought rationally? I know I didn't when I was 15. For whatever reason, he just got too wrapped up in what was going on and lost touch with reality. So please, pray for him too.

Thank you.
by byt my IQ
I support the YLF and Eric. He was legally obligated to attend an unsafe enviorment, through no fault of his own. Because he is under 18 (i.e. not an equel human being) he had no choice in the matter. I had heard he only targeted teachers and students who harrassed him, which is just self defense.
by Pissed OFF
THIS IS A JOKE. THE FRICKING KID KILLED SOMEONE. WHOEVER MADE THIS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR EVEN SPITTING OUT GARBAGE LIKE THIS. I DONT CARE IF YOU KNEW HIM OR YOU USED TO DATE HIM OR WHATEVER. THIS KID KNEW THE LAW AND HE BROKE RULE NUMBER ONE. IF THE SYSTEM WAS SO BAD HE COULD HAVE DONE MANY OTHER THINGS TO GET THIS PRINCIPAL IN TROUBLE AND FIRED. I AM HONESTLY EMBARRASED FOR YOU PEOPLE.
by rodney
Lets just all pray that Eric is in prison for a long, long time.
by Hogy
It was dum for him to take his rage out on the princapal. he is a dum ass and deserves to rot in jail, if he thinks that killing is the way to make things better then he is so freaking dum. If u guys are that dum to chaose to stand by his side then u need to rot in prison 2. he was 15 he killed a man he is sent right to adult court there is no chance that he will get moved down sense he has killed a guy.The kid was F'ing dum to to even say he didnt like the syestm to bad suck it up be a man u dont just go and kill some one because u dont like a system.
by BB
eric killed someone and you guys are defending him?!? you guys make me sick just like defending someone who robed your house and killed your mom. i bet every one of the weston students that are defending eric and think it is self defence i bet you all loved john and i know he brought joy to all that where around him HE TOOK A LIFE!!!! GET INTO YOUR THICK SKULLS HE DIDNT STEAL A CANDY BAR HE TOOK AN INICENT MANS LIFE!!!

he should rot in jail for what he did
by GWLAW2008
The fact of the matter is that an emotionally immature person killed an innocent man who was a father, husband, and friend to <i>someone</i>. I am shocked and astonished that any of you would consider supporting this miscreant. Would you support the shooter at VA Tech or the shooters at Columbine? If you have half of a brain, you would most certainly not. Hainstock's case is no different.

Name-calling is a fact of life. No one should have to go through it, but it happens. Someone is inevitably picked on more than others, but grow up- you need to grow a thick skin and move on with your life. High school is not socially easy for many people. Life itself is not easy. Bringing a gun to school and killing someone does not solve your problems. People like Eric who make such foolish decisions should be in jail. People like that should not be allowed to walk around with other people who would even consider harming someone. He is a danger to himself and society. And don't tell me that he never meant to hurt anyone- he brought a GUN to school. A GUN is a WEAPON and it is meant to HURT people. That is it's primary and sole purpose. If yout think otherwise, you're as big of a tool as he is.
by Lisa Brown (pit_bull_777 [at] hotmail.com)
I'm new on this site, but I just want to say that I know what Eric means when he says Weston didn't do anything to stop the bullying. I went there for the first half of my junior year and everyone in all my classes, the rest of the high school students. and evryone else in the middle school section harassed me for being a lesbian, how I looked, dressed, acted, and how I talked. There was one teacher named Marsha Kohler who did absolutely nothing and even said to me that her dog was better looking than I am. I first met Eric at Pineview Elementary in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. When I was in the fifth grade I can still recall the EBD teacher Nancy Kaney and her teaching aide harshly grabbing his arms and carrying him to their room. Eric's feet didn't touch the ground. He kept kicking the air and yelling at them to put him down, but they didn't listen. Only way I know this is because I saw it. I too am EBD and have been abused and bullied. I'm not saying murder is right, but since he's already been convicted as an adult and the judge decided to have him stay in the adult court, the prison or jail should consider getting him the mental health rehabilitation services that he needs. I saw his dad a few weeks ago at the hospital waiting room and at the time he seemed like such a harmless man along with Eric's stepmom, The Amish community and myself know better. If anuone sees Eric please tell him that I am sorry for being one of the kids who would pick on him during the short time I was at Weston and that I forgive him for what he did and all the harassment he gave me while I was there.
by Lisa Brown
You don't know shit Eric has always been picked on since he was in Reedsburg. Hardly anyone would even try to get to know him. so why don't you and foreverchanged go cry in each other's pussies and get the fuck off this website because none of you understand what grief is. All of you assholes were spoiled by Jim Doyle by going to Christmas Mountain and even to the governer's home. You guys weren't grieving, but were taking this shooting for granted. If you were really grieving y'all would turn down the invitation and not go to Christmas Mountain and would instead go to heavy duty counseling so please do not tell me all of you are going through such a hard time. You are all a bunch of fucking fakers.
by A supporter of Eric
Hainstock, Shawn
S2089 Birdd Dr
La Valle, WI 53941
608-985-8247
by A supporter of Eric
Hmmm...you definitely sound like you were a bully in school. Either that, or you're truly an imbecile with no heart at all.
by A supporter of Eric
I am a Westom Student
by foreverchanged9-29-06
Saturday Oct 21st, 2006 1:11 PM
by Robert Megna (rmegna [at] hotmail.com)
I am a high school teacher and, although I strongly condemn Eric's actions, I think the life sentence is a bit harsh considering the boy' s age at the time of the crime and the deplorable home conditions he had to endure. Teachers are often the persons young people come to for guidance and help and should not shirk the responsibility to see to it that a suffering child is helped in whatever way possible. I know that in my state, we teachers are legally bound to report child abuse. Teachers are often afraid of retaliation from the student's parents or other relatives because they have reported abuse to Child Protective Services and maybe that's why they prefer not to see what should be obvious or pretend certain things are not happening. Still, there is a moral obligation to do what is right regardless. I am sure there were plenty of cries for help evident in Eric's actions before the fatal encounter. The bullying theme seems to echo through a lot of these incidents. Young people need to learn to accept differences and not persecute people who don't measure up to the average person's expectations. More people need to read the book The Painted Bird. It should be required reading for all teachers.
by WE-R-LEGION
And while were at it lets let all these guy run amok to:
Eric Smith, 13, murdered 4-year-old Derrick Robie.

Robert Thompson & Jon Venables murdered James Bulger, 2 years old

Diane Zamora & David Graham - Murdered a schoolmate.

Lionel Tate 12 years old Murdered a 6 year old girl

Robert Tulloch, 17 James Parker, 16 - Stabbing deaths in Dartmouth, NH.

Chad O'Connell - Stabbed a person in street fight

Timothy Scott Sherman- Killed mother and adopted father

Willie Bosket - 15 year old

Mary Bell 11-year-old

George Junius Stinney, Jr 14 years - Murdered 2 young girls.

Barry Loukaitis - 14 years old - Murdered 3 people

Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold - Columbine High school, Littleton, CO

Juliet Hulme helped Pauline Parker kill Pauline's mother, Honora

- here is a quote that sums it all up -

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other - unknown

by A Mom
This is something I just don't understand. If a 15 year old "decides" to have sex with an 18 year old, the 18 year old can be charged with a felony. Why? Because 15 year olds are not mature enough to completely think out their actions and are not able to foresee the consequences. Pat Barrett, the DA prosecuting this case, routinely charges people using this argument. But somehow, when a 15 year old "decides" to use a gun to shoot someone, he is able to completely think out his actions and forsee the consequences? It is talking out of both sides of your mouth. The truth is, children are considered minors until they are 18 for good reason. And to shut a child away with adults, and to punish him as though he thought like an adult, is barbaric. It makes me so sad to read peoples rageful, "rot in prison" attitudes. He did do wrong. He permanently affected many peoples life for the worse. But heaping another wrong on top of it all will not make anyone feel better, or bring John Klang back to his family. I pray daily for Eric Hainstock and I also pray for the jury, that they will see Eric for the child he is, and give him an APPROPRIATE sentence.
by Somebody
This kid is phsyco. If you all knew him and knew what was going on with his life (the name calling, the abuse, home life) WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING?? No damn excuse. He brought the gun, he shot it. It wasn't his "emotions". Where was his conscience during all this? There are people who get picked on every day but they dont take out a gun a kill someone. This is the real world- you don't deal with your problems by just killing them. Honestly, you all need to reconsider this bullshit. Don't push to free him, push for something else like being treated as a minor or something, just not exonerate him from everything.
by bmturney
People... I don't care how bad someone is bullied... what names they are called... no matter what... NOTHING can justify murder. If in fact he has ADD (which many times even that is misdiagnosed)... then I can see blaming his father to some extent for not putting him medication that could help control it... but regardless, at the end of the day... we are all responsible for our own actions... or at least we are supposed to be... I hope this kid does spend the rest of his life in prison... it would be a shame if he does... but I think he deserves it... if he doesn't... and he gets out in 10-15 years... odds are he will be back in prison for assault and/or murder, if someone else doesn't get tired of his crap and kill him.

There is also a good chance, which his attiude... a fellow inmate will kill him on the inside anyway... either way, this kid doesn't have much of a life left to look forward too... but again... that's HIS fault...
by Sandy
Although I agree that he shouldn't have killed anyone, I think the system did fail him. Another question is - if he's having that many problems, why is he still in school? I'm a mother and if my child were going through such hard times at a school - I would move them until they found the right place. I think the whole world failed this child - including his parents. That might be mean but it's the truth. Unfortunately he didn't have the control that most people do and this situation could have been a lot worse than it was. Maybe this will open people's eyes to do something instead of sit by and do nothing.
by Sandy
Although I agree that he shouldn't have killed anyone, I think the system did fail him. Another question is - if he's having that many problems, why is he still in school? I'm a mother and if my child were going through such hard times at a school - I would move them until they found the right place. I think the whole world failed this child - including his parents. That might be mean but it's the truth. Unfortunately he didn't have the control that most people do and this situation could have been a lot worse than it was. Maybe this will open people's eyes to do something instead of sit by and do nothing.
by Me
Fuck people trying to make excuses for murder. What did you think would happen when you brought guns to school??!?!?!?! It's purely a bullshit cop-out to say "I didn't mean to hurt anyone." WTF DO YOU THINK GUNS DO DIPSHIT... No one people picked on this kid... he's an ASSHOLE.
by dolor
hey! you're just too stupid to understand things.. grow up and and get matured and if u think you're ready to comment.. come back on this site and u might have a different idea.. ERIC, u didn't do the right thing but we are still proud of you for expressign your ownself against these animals..
by Vealchop
Guilty. Another criminal going to jail.
by BBC News
diddums.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6928935.stm
by Petmedome
It amazes me that anyone would discuss this case and not take the victim's side. The victim is the deceased. The bad person is Eric Hainstock. There is no defense. Eric committed murder. The original poster obviously has never been a victim of violent crime. I wonder what the "Youth Liberation Front" would say if Eric had shot one of them, or their parents. WOuld they still offer solidarity? Would the YLF want to hug Eric and wonder why Eric has been "forced" into this by society? The YLF argument is one of a moron; it it one of someone grossly uninformed; it is one of someone with no real grasp on how the world works. Yes, this is tragic for everyone. Wishing for a different world will not change anything.

Regardless of what Eric's rational was, if any, his actions were criminal. He must be punished.

I would love to hear a YLF-type open up his own home to a murderer, rapist, or other criminal. Gee, they don't do that do they? Of course not. They talk the talk.

Eric's life is forfeit. He should either be executed or spend the rest of his life in a labor camp.

by Tyler Durden (lothlorien_wanderer [at] yahoo.com)
So that kid Kainstock was found guilty of murder with intent, and will likely get life w/o parole or 60 years. Either way, goodbye Eric. But hey, he went to school armed and knew full well what he was doing. These damn kids...who is watching out for them? Well anyway now he can spend the next five or six decades growing old, watching himself turn gray, listening to the screaming on cell block D, and think about his choice,... behind bars. Tons and tons of concrete and steel. Oh, and don't forget the violent homoexual predators and the shower gang rapes. Must be tough on Eric's father to have to watch his little boy get sent away knowing that.




by Meatwad
The ironic thing about these cases is that a youth will turn homicidal because of being called a fag and a pussy, kill someone to make it stop, and then get sent to prison where they are endlessly called a fag and pussy. God forbid this person even gets out of prison now... because there goes one angry, mixed up, troubled, violent human with dogshit for a soul.



by Concerned
Having read through most of the immature comments, name calling and redundencies, I find that one of the most troubling aspects of the responses is how little thought or suggestions are presented about how to prevent this in the future. Based on the tone and word selection, I would venture to say that many of you are probably the type of individuals that would pick on someone you preceive as different from yourself and then when something negative happens, you are the first to say "I don't know how something like this could happen."

This kid made bad decisions and, having been convicted by a court of law, is now going to pay for those decisions for the rest of his life. That principal did not deserve to be murdered. Period. The ironic thing is that now, Eric will be held responsible for his actions, while many of the people that allegedly contributed (friends, relatives, teachers etc.) to his meltdown will never acknowledge, much less take responsiblity for, their bad behavior.

As someone with more than two dozen years of experiance in the education system, I have seen students, and in some cases teachers, behave poorly to their fellow students and teachers, then shrug off the responsiblity for their behavior as "well, everyone else was doing it." I expect better. Unfortunately, I am often quite disappointed.

If you've taken offense to what I've just written, it may be because you recognize youself as one of the people I've described. I've taken no position on Eric Hainstocks case specifically, but instead ask you to ask yourself what you could do to prevent this type of tragedy in the future. Take responsiblity for yourself and for your actions, and consider how your behavior and comments could result in unintentioned consequences. Without making excuses, if we look back at the tragic events that have occurred over and over again in our society with mass pedicide, some of the strongest motivators, as cited by the perpetrators, are bullying, harrassment (both verbal and physical) and exclusion. When YOU see these behaviors taking place, don't just sit there, DO SOMETHING TO STOP IT! The life you save may be your own.
by unk
"Klang's widow testified on Friday the loss of her husband leaves her with emptiness and despair. Sue Klang talked at Eric Hainstock's sentencing hearing in Sauk County Circuit Court.

She said that her husband was her high school sweetheart and that she can't recall a time in her adult life that he wasn't there. Klang said that her husband was her best friend and the love of her life and his death has left her with horror and agony."

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Yeah, seriously.... you can call for solidarity and freedom for this idiot after reading a thing like this? This twit ruined her life! A totally innocent woman who developed this love with her husband over her whole life, and now that was completely destroyed cause "eric was mad, and just freaked out". Utter BS.

Not to mention there is one less good person in the world, and one more bad one that the rest of us have to pay taxes to support. And that's why, when you look around, you see the world getting a little darker and colder every day.

If it were up to me I've had this kid executed in public in a most grotesque fashion to serve as an example for all the other wannabe teen thrill killers. Rampant barbarism can't be tolerated by a civillized society.
by escapedwisconsin
Use a gun, go to jail. Period.

But what brought this kid to that state of mind? It's parents and schools who push push push this mindless competitive mantra. And if you don't participate in football or whatever, you're some kind of outcast. Yeah, life is tough, it's a risk, but I've seen kids get bullied, and that, coupled with a dysfuntional home life, and on top of it, maybe you're gay - society reaps what it sows.
There's no end in sight either. These asshole fathers and teachers (gym teachers esp.) who have some sort of testicular deficiency and push kids into this mindless sports crap are basically teaching violence. They encourage competitive kids to beat up on the ones who have better things to do than an activitty that has nothing to do with making a better world.
If these "sports fathers" were as involved with their kids doing creative things like art, music or dance, they would be helping to create a much more beautiful world. But, they would read this and think of me as some kind of wimp.
Well, I am, I'm a knee-jerk, liberal, sports-hating faggot.
But to all those kids out there who are victims of getting picked on in school - just wait it out. When you graduate and turn 18, you can tell them all to kiss your ass goodbye. And go live in a place where you'll be accepted.
IN HIS own way? That is not a 15 year old boy's normal way of dealing with a problem unless he has become disturbed due to years of abuse trauma or born w/ mental INcapacity to feel for others. Empathy. Seems you have some only when it is convenient. Every killer has his own way of dealing/speaking out, doesn't mean it is EVER right. Are you alive inside? Really? I don't blame only this boy for his actions, however there is always a choice to do the right thing or the wrong.. he also was taught how to make more bad choices, clearly and chose to do the WRONG thing. Please do not use this for your propaganda. It has NOTHING to do with it.
by Tony Rivera
My humble respect for every one, but what happen at colombine was cause by drugs that have been given to those teens by big pharmaceuticals, and this drugs are extreamly dagerous and make you see visions and even to kill people. Big pharma and our goverment has plans for our children. We as Americans and Christians have an abligation to our children and to find out what is taking place with the Elite (weathly corporation) to make them pay for there crimes against humanity.

Ther is much evidence to prove this pleas visit youtube under pharmaceutical or druging children and then ask the parents of this young man if he was using any type of drugs prescribed by a sychotris or doctor. Pleas fight and sind any petition that bands any drugs given to public shool children that are dangerous and alter the though and imotion of students. Before many other teen angers start using theis drugs and start killing even their own parents. Also find out about codex in youtube.

Thank you. GodBleess you and whatever you do don't sell your soul to the Devil Jesus will always be thier to help. Amen.
by T. Green
I am a parent of a teenager and also the parent of a special needs child. I was also picked on as a kid, so I know what it feels like to be the odd duck out. However, I have grown up and learned a great deal from my experiences. I have a great rapport with kids of all ages, which is why my job specialty is in pediatrics. That said, I can understand the anger and deep frustration Eric had. He probably also projected much of his anger for his father onto the principle. This does not give him the right to kill for his emotional release. Eric needs help, serious help, and he won't recieve that in prison. He does need to be hel accountable in some way for his actions as he was aware of what he was doing.

The idea of everybody acting out their frustrations on everybody else is frightening. Imagine if our government and others decided to do that, but used nuclear arms instead. We might as well start carrying around clubs and move back to caves. I would like to think that we are evolving past fight and might makes right.

The idea of banning manditory schools and so on is done in other countries. Except the people there are ruled by dictators and would give anything for education. You are only "ruled' if you allow yourself, your inner self, to be. I do agree with the quote "Question All Authority." But I also know that a civilazation needs rules and regulations or there will be chaos. It is not weak to give a person respect. It is the opposite. The same goes for following rules.

I didn't know the principle. I do know what it is like to deal with systems and people that don't listen and seem unable to be changed. But, I have to work at changing the systems in place, and learning tact with the people I have to deal with. It is difficult. Keeping myself calm when dealing with a complete idiot that is also your boss is one of the hardest things in the world to do. You learn to control yourself, change the situation if you can, or move on. You do not resort to violence. Once you begin to yell or punch, the battle is already lost for both sides.

I can only hope that anybody that reads any of the posts about Eric will take the time to get involved with the next "odd duck" they come across. Say hello, offer a water glass, intervene if there is any bullying going on. Keep intervening and calling higher and higher up the ladder until you get a response. Just don't give up.

If we all decided to find a way to help each other first instead of trying to find a way to help ourselves first we might actually be able to live in a time of peace.

Maybe I wouldn't have to worry about anybody picking on my son.

by K
I didn't even have the patience to read all of the articles. In fact, I didn't even read to the middle of the page. It started to get off topic.
First of all, every one has their opinion. And TONS of people on this page have a very closed mind about the Eric situation. I went to Weston, I knew Eric, I knew Mr. Klang and his family. Most of you are trying to point the finger at "jocks." If you knew ANYTHING about Weston, it's that there are no jocks. Seriously. At least not the stereotypical jocks. I was in sports, participated in most of the clubs, AND i was in band. What does that make me? And thats how most of the kids at Weston are. We can't be classified. We just ARE. So blaming Eric's behavior on the jocks is rediculous. It just goes to show how judgemental kids are. The students are Weston are all just kids going to school, from some almost non-existent towns, smack dab in the middle of some cornfields. They don't jam thoughts in to our head to make us think what they want us to think. They don't force their opinions on us. Before this, I always wanted to bring my children to Weston because I liked it so much.
I personally always had a soft spot for Eric. I would see him in the hall almost every day and ask him if he was behaving. Although it's hard for most people to imagine him having a heart, he always had a smile on when we talked. Seriously. And to have people say that they favored Mr. Klang over Eric because we liked him better?! That's rediculous. You have no idea what you are talking about.
When I heard last night from my family that Eric was going to spend his whole life in jail, a series of feelings came over me. I wanted to cry for him and I also wanted to sigh in relief. Eric is a child. I'm sure this case was incredibly difficult for the judge to decide. On one hand, you want his family to be able to finally move on and have Mr. Klang rest in peace, but on the other hand, Eric is only a child. Is he a murderer? Yes. but what about years from now? Who will he be? We will never know.
For all of you expressing your opinions, go on and do it. But don't be so close minded about it. You have no idea what you are talking about. Unless you knew him, or Mr. Klang, you are merely just another person drawing conclusions without facts.
This site is actually quite rediculous. I feel as if you are promoting more school shootings. Isn't America already doomed as it is?
by linda
cruelty to lock a child up for life if it was some famous persons child it would not be in jail at all.

phil spector shot lana in the face and he is still a free man american justice sytem sucks
im from australia and we all think eric shold be free and recieve treatment for any problems he may have
not only was he abused as a child but now the judges are doing the same abusing a child by jailing him as if thats going to teach him not to hurt the people who hurt him
the principal most likely did not protect eric from bullies
teachers need to take children seriously when they are approached by a student with a com[laint and do something about it
by Matsura
Jaime Carlson you say that their are people hurting when they post negative comments about Eric. How selfish of you. How selfcentered. Okay maybe Eric is a great guy, maybe not. But one thing I know he hurt someone and his wife and family more then he was ever hurt. He will be up for parole in 30 Years so if he behaves and works on rehabilitation maybe he will be eligible for release then. I guess you feel condoning Eric's action will help him, his victims and family and keep others from committing similar crime. He may have been abused by family and students but the court felt his suspension for using tobacco was a catalist for his committing premeditated murder.
by Jae Robinson
I feel for both of the victoms.When i was a kid about 8-13 years old i was bullied too.Not by my parents, I couldent imagian if i was.i was bullied by the kids i lived around.I remember getting cow shit wiped all over me while 3 kids held me down and I once almost got shot in the head with a 22.I heard it fly right by my head.My point is Eric Should have been strong enough too get through it it is VERY hard.Its to bad that this kid fucked up the rest of his life he will probiply die in prison.I saw him on the news and his punk ass dad cring in the back like he gave a shit.You cant help but feel for this KID cause thats what he is a kid.Your not human if dont,i coudnt help but drop a tear for him AND Mr.Klang.Even if he gets out at age 46 hell go right back because thats all he knows.My brother was Erics celly in Sauk County Jail.its my bros 3RD time in the jouint at just the young age of 22.My big sister just got down doing 6years And i got to do 18months in 2 weeks we will all go back.Shit affects you when ur young and hurts u very much.I just pray hes okay in prison.And I hope the Family of Mr.Klang is okay also. Lifes a bitch, live it, dont kill it, enjoy it while it lasts!
by Matt Tomaschefsky
I was a victom of bullying growing up throughout my life. It got to be so bad that i let my anger out by setting 2 garages on fire and burned up a small storage shed in a park. Real Stupid! I faced 80 years in prison. I was only 18. I had no pryor criminal record so the judge only gave me 3 in a half months in prison, plus 7 yrs of probation. I was off of probation in july of 2003. Believe it or not i have some things in common with eric so i know how how hurt he is and what he went through at schoo. Eric has A.D.H.D. I have a learning disability and was in slow passed classes my whole life, Eric got held back a grade. I got held back in the 3rd grade. Believe me for what I did it got the best of me and i have to live with it everyday. The hardest thing was I was so affraid that i wouldn't graduate from high school with my class. When i got out of prison in oct of 1996, and came back to school Kids looked at me differantly, I lost some good friends. But I learned from my mistakes. I had a special education teacher just like eric did, and she helped me with my school work and and i graduated from high school with my class. I had to bust my ass off just to graduate, and I graduated with a 3.1 G.P.A. I said to myself im going to graduate and change. and so I did. Not everyone returns back into the system, you see if you think pozitive and put your mind to it you'll change! So I do believe eric will change and get the help he needs if he puts his mind to it. It's now august 5, 2007 and im still out and proud of it! Im a big supporter of eric and im not ashamed to admit it!
by Herman
You have to be kidding me. I am sick of the excuses of being picked on for being a psycopath. Almost every student out there suffers from some sort of emotional distress and everyone else finds a way to deal with it. It is only the weak that succomb to acs of violence such as this kid. I dont need to hear the rest of the story or read any of these comments. Think about what some of you crazy writers are saying. This person may have been a teenager when he committed the act but he knew what consequences lay before him. This MAN needed to be punished like one.
by Jaroslaw99
Yes, Eric should be punished, but not for life at age 15. Perhaps he had more friends than you but friends are not in every class 24 hours a day. I had lots of friends too, but I still got bullied pretty bad. School sucks in that you are forced to be there for years - bullying should NOT be tolerated under any circumstances - and it is high time this issue is getting the attention of the administrators and school boards to do something about it.
by Wyatt
Eric was ADHD, Eric was picked on, Eric was a victim, blah blah blah. First, you got to get the gun. More then enough time to reconsider what you're about to do. Then you go to load the gun(s). More time to think. Then you go to travel to the destination. Lots of time to reflect. Then you got to find a target, chamber a round, aim and fire. How long does it take to give it a second thought and stop yourself? A half second? This is pure, unadulterated, intentional first degree homicide.

I have no respect for anyone who doesn't kill themself after having done something like this. I mean honestly, you know what you're doing at 15 years old. African nations have entire armies that are made up of soldiers younger than 16.

So life in prison for this jerk is a slap to the face of the widow of the man he killed. Why should she have to think about how comfortable is the person who robbed her of a husband for the rest of her life? What about closure for that victim? The REAL victims. Eric ought to be executed, and furthermore, he ought to die the way he chose to kill -- by firing squad.

An old saying: "Live by the sword, die by the sword". Goddamn pinko leftist commies trying to muck that simple principle up with namby pamby, feel-good psychobabble designed to shelter the unproductive weak at the expense of the working strong. Well look around.... that's why nobody else in the world has respect for the tribe of America!!! Oh sure they do what we tell them, but only out of fear, not respect. But every King, Pharoah or President that has ruled out of fear rather than respect has been deposed, and rightfully so. You want to save this kid now only to reintroduce him back into the free world late on then you are going to, to use another famous saying from the good book; "reap the crop which thou have sown".

Or I don't know, maybe it's a better idea to lock this kid up for 30 + years, ignore his violent, sexually repressed mindset and call it rehabilitation, and then put him back out on the street all loaded up on antipsychotic medications which he won't be able to afford on his own once he's an ex-con with no insurance. That way we could also solve the pressing problem of not having enough mixed up, addled brained idiots with nothing to do walking around aimlessly collecting welfare. Right? Sounds like a winner of a social program to me. Where's Hillary Clinton when you need him...





by Kellen (ginolancer [at] yahoo.com)
Eric is not a loser at all. he is someone that had the guts to stand up to the individuals that allowed all this S*** to happen to him. If the principal had not tried to be a super F*** hero he would still be here. All Eric wanted to do was talk, otherwise he would've shot them when he first got there. Everyone is worried about this dead man that did nothing to help Eric. The victim here is Eric, he tried to tell the people that were there to shield him and they turned their backs on him. We all snap at one point or another, if you've ever been in a fight or gotten mad at someone that you've called them names thats a form of snapping. ERIC IS A HERO, he did something that will get faculty off their A** and do something next time someone tells them that they are being picked on.
by Jas
From what I have read and heard, Eric definitely the victim. I do not feel he needs to be locked up for 30 years, that is sad.
Teenagers do not know how to express themselves, a lot of them feel that the adults do not respect them or feel that their worries or concerns are worth their time. Speaking from experience, there were many times I wish I knew how to fight back in school, I was picked-on beat-up many times for being different. Somehow I managed not to commit suicide or kill anyone, lucky for me.
I can see how his pent anger could drive him to feeling that his only recourse would be to bring a gun to school to make folks listen to him -- that he was sick of it. I read the one clip in here that someone said he was a bad kid because he smoked....that is not knowing the facts, I smoked but I did because it allowed to be with other kids that did and I did not get picked on when I was with them, it was my escape...I am not sure if that is why he did it, I am not sure if at the time that was how I thought, I just wanted to fit in with someone. I wish at times crimes would be punished from the root up....start at the father, then the bullies, then the faculty. I feel bad that someone got killed, I do, but I think this should be a wake up call, I think if you are going to be a teacher you also need to be able to see when I child is having problems and if you ignore the child you should be suspended without pay for a period of time. Eric needs help, not prison, he needs to know that people do care!
by Jas
My thoughts for
"Frontier Justice
by Wyatt
Monday Aug 6th, 2007 1:17 PM"

First off, it does not appear that his intent was to go kill anyone, just to show that he was serious!....Second he could not have killed himself if he wanted too, not that I advocate it, but they wrestled the gun away from him!
I do not think the man he killed was a real man, he did not stick up for Eric! Unfortunately it cost him his life, maybe the next principal/teacher will open their eyes an help the kids who do not know how to handle everything life throws at them.
I realise you can not listen to everybody or always see trouble signs, but from what I have read his school knew he was being harassed and did nothing, or very little. The real criminals go free(father, teachers, the other students) , except for the principal, Eric gets 30 years in prison.
I think he deserves some sort of punishment, but not 30 years, maybe 5 to 10 for endangerment but that is all.
And as far as African nations go, I feel sorry for them. They are kids, they do not know what they are doing, they are doing what they are told for reasons that are not just. It sounds to me like you are advocating giving 16 year olds gun to go kill in the name of a Nation, is not killing - killing?.....sounds kind of barbaric to me.




"Any society which does not insist upon respect for all life must necessarily decay."
-Albert Einstein
by Wyatt
My reply to Jas's response to me;

The real criminals are the fathers, teachers, students? That is simply amazing. What freakin planet are you from?

I don't advocate 16 year olds taking up arms and killing in the name of anything, just pointing out that in place like Sierra Lenone, Congo, Angola, etc, kids younger than 15 are expected to be soldiers, and they have little to no education. Hainstock had a good first world education, was well fed and clothed, had a house and lots of stuff to play with... and he was 15, and he knew full well what he was doing. That's the whole point. He goes to prison for life because he knowingly took a human life without provocation. Klang was not on trial for being a decent human, or a good guy, or whether or not he deserved to be shot. Hainstock was on trial for being a murderering SOB.

He is the criminal. He is the savage, life taking murderer who left nothing but misery and tears in his wake. The other kids might have harassed him, but at least they didn't freakin KILL him!

Not to mention if you look up harassment in Wisonsin law it entails a little more than calling someone else a fag in public. Eric suffered a little humiliation and he turned rabid because of it. My point is, when he gets done serving 30 years in prison he will have endured all sorts of humiliation and "harassment". So you want him walking around again... maybe kill your spouse next time he freaks out? I don't. I don't want him anywhere else but confined to a cement 6'x8' cell until the day he dies. And I only say that becuase I'm feeeling generous today. Most days I'd say just euthanize him and let's all get on with life without the fear of some brat coming into our place of business and murdering us while we work cause he's a little hormonal today.




by crystel morton (crystel_morton666 [at] yahoo.com)
everyone that has something bad to say about eric hainstock is retarded!!!!! this is why, everyone in this lifetime has picked on someone,or has been picked on!! and we all have asked for help cause of physical abuse or mental abuse of some sort and no one was there, i really feel sorry for eric cause abuse is not something a child should have to go through, and then have to go to school and get it there too, and the people that you are supposed to trust turn on you too, the only difference about all of us and eric ? is that he had enough guts to actually do it...we have all talked about killing someone,but we never went through with it..so all of you need to back off eric....he was trying to scare those bunk ass kids and he never ment to shoot anyone and i for one believe him and he deserves to know that there is people out there that do care and understand....give him another chance it could of been any of us that were in his very place..think of that...free eric.....
by Kayla Hamburg (ghettochik420_69 [at] yahoo.com)
I agree strongly with Crystel. All he ever wanted was someone to care enough about him to take action and end all the bullshit that he had to put up with. But the one one person he confided in wronged him, and let him down when he needed him the most. Eric is probably a really nice, caring, and loving person if someone would ever give him that chance. For those of you who think otherwise, you can all kiss my ass. If I ever get the chance, I will go see him and give him the chance that many won't give him. He needs someone to talk to, someone who won't screw him over like all the others. He deserves a second chance like any human being. I'm really sick off everyone saying that he should rot in hell. Everyone saying that shit should rot in hell. And if u have something to say to me, I'm all ears. FREE ERIC!!!!!
by crystel morton (crystel_morton666 [at] yahoo.com)
it really upsets me that all these people on here can sit here and talk shit about a 15 year old kid that is what started this in the first place...if your not here to help him leave hm alone..the damage is done and he has to live with it for the rest of his life the rest of you will forget in the the next few years..so back off of him if you want to help him show him that he isnt alone that you do care what happens to him he is just a child what if that was your child? would you just bad mouth him or tell him to burn in hell? NO PROBALLY NOT!!!! and to his family i want you to know i support him and i completly understand i had the same life style that he did growing up and there is so many times i wish it would stop and it never did. there was no one there to help me im 26 and i had to go through alot in life to finally relize that there was people out there that cared and im going to school to become a social worker for abused children cause we need to help these kids that need it not just ignore it.. please tell eric im by his side 100% and if he wants to write me he can you can email me to get the address.. and for the rest of you grow up and leave this boy and his family alone....crystel..and if you have a problem you can take it up with me...
by Journalists at WSJ
Article titled "Educating Eric"

by EM
I think you made a very important point...but not the one you intended to. Yes, lifes a bitch and most people face some sort of bullying and serious problems in their lifes. But most people have also been shown by their family and those that care about them how to deal with those problems in a constructive and mature manner. You implied yourself that your parents were there for you and you don't know what you would have done otherwise. From what has been reported, it seems that Eric was never given this guidance. Eric was set up to fail in one way or another from the day he was born. Was what he did wrong? Absolutely. Does everyone who is abused and emotionally abandoned end up killing, or less dramatically failing? Of course not; some get lucky. Why in this case? I don't know maybe it was a perfect storm of circumstances given the abuse at home, emotional abandonment, untreated ADHD, bullying that put the kid in a position where he made a stupid, desperate decision.

When I saw Eric on the stand, I didn't see evil or malicious. I saw a boy that was very emotionally immature and probably somewhat intellectually immature also. I did not interpret his lack of emotion as malicious or cold hearted but rather very immature. Developmentally, kids begin life as selfish beings and learn to share, feel compassion and think of others...it’s in any child development book. Besides, in some ways Eric had to think about and look out for himself when he was growing up because he was the only one doing so. And is it any wonder he hasn't yet developed socially given his "role models" or lack thereof? There's a reason human civilization has evolved so that children live under the guidance of their parents until they're ready to live on their own and it's not just for material necesities and comforts. There's a reason kids aren't left on their own to essentially raise themselves like Eric was.

Now I am not saying he doesn’t need to be punished for what he did and I am not saying the Klangs aren’t victims because they absolutely are without a doubt. But to trace the problem and stop at Eric’s guilt is to miss the root of the problem. And the danger in that lies in the fact that it will only be a matter of time until the next kid who is abused, emotionally abandoned and left to fend for himself with no guidance does the same thing or worse (since I do not believe he had the intention of taking lives when he went to school that day). Simply locking Eric up and throwing away the key may address this particular situation (although I don’t think that he deserves that) but it certainly won’t stop the next. Despite the “message” the new principal thinks this case has sent to the youth of America, I highly doubt children at the end of their ropes who feel they have no other place to turn are all that worried about prior precedents. Put another way, I do not see this as a case of one bad apple but rather as evidence of a sick tree.

I think this case is a tragedy all around. And the worst part is that it’s a tragedy that could have been prevented if this kid hadn’t fallen through the cracks.

by Kimberly G.
It's going to be 1 year soon. I think it's time for everyone to move on with their lives. Everyone has such a wonderful opinion on this matter, yet I don't see anything on any concern for any of the families! NICE!!! On one side, you have a family that lost a husband, father, brother, uncle, best friend. On the other side, you have a family that has lost, and I do mean LOST a son, grandson, brother, nephew, best friend. Think of how the families are feeling. You have to sit back and really wonder what they think and how they are truly feeling. I say never forget this tragedy, but move on!!!!
by SpaceGhost
That's bull. Just as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold said exactly in their own words, "good wombs have born bad sons". You and the rest of the liberal world always try and go around finding the "root cause" of the problem. But guess what? Sometimes there are no root causes. Somtimes people light kittens on fire and then go home and play with the kids and tell them how swell life is. Not because they had bad parents, or were beaten by nuns or suffered unimaginable indignities at the hands of authority figures, but because some people are just plain sick and they just don't give a shit. Sick in the head, and twisted bastards who will just never, ever get it as long as they live.

If you read the trial transcripts, you'll see how hainstock lied about how many times he fired the pistol, and lied about the gun "just going off" when Klang went to restrain him. No, ballistics show that the gunshot wounds Klang received were from a distance of greater than 20 feet. Meaning hainsock began firing in order to take him down before Klang ever reached him. Eye witnesses account how hainstock came in through the front doors and declared he was about to kill someone and that he was serious. What more evidence can you ask for. No clearer case of first degree, intentional homicide can be found. And then to underscore his profound sense of detachment, he eats a sandwich with his victims blood still on his hands as if the whole drama might have just been another day at the park for him. Trust me, if you "free Eric" then in ten years from now he'll be setting kittens on fire, or whatever equivilant depraved act gets him his jollies.

And why did this happen? Cause widdle Ewick got his widdle feelings hurted by the big kids, waah waah.


He's not crazy, so he goes to prison. Prisons punish, not rehabilitate. So in 30 some odd years, he'll be ten times the remorseless, cold blooded killer than he is today. Sure the prison shrinks will teach him how to act the part for the parole board and some dumbass liberal whackadoo judge will set him free. But you just call him a faggot once, and watch how the act drops and the monster comes back out.

In this world there are hundreds of sources of frustration and anger. I don't want some unfeeling, uncaring, emotionally unattached brat in a man's body to be the cause of my death because someone cut him off in line, or fired him from a job, or looked at him the wrong way.

Free Eric Hainstock? Sure, free him from this whole world with a short drop and a quick stop. No, the article ought to be entitled Fuck Eric Hainstock, fuck him up his stupid ass. Fortunately what with the prisons systems being the way they are, that is far more likely to happen than him being set free.

by ANONIMOUS
For the people who think he shouldnt be free,you
should think what if you was in his place. Think about it...you were getting teased, put in lockers,and the rest.I dont know him but I see where he comin from.The principal didnt do anything about it neither did the teachers.Wouldn't you wanna second chance.

FREE ERIC HAINSTOCK





by ANONIMOUS
I THINK HE SHOULD BE FREE BECAUSE; 1.SOME CHILDREN CAN BE MEAN. 2.HE IS STILL LEAGALLY A CHILD SINCE HE HASNT GRADUATED. 3.EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES. 4.HE KNEW NO BETTER. AT LEAST PUT HIM ON SOME TYPE OF PROBATION.
by Trials over-
I knew Eric during the time he was at Weston. Eric had SO MANY people trying to help him. It is to bad he either refused the help or assumed it would always be offered. All the adults who fed him, gave him rides, supplies, Mr. Klang even bought him clothes and shoes! It was just never enough for Eric. He was teased, but how many times was he called the name after he ran down the hall pushing people left and right. There were so many times when he was the perpetrator. He went out celebrating home-coming and toilet-papering the night before with other friends. No one knew that within half a dozen hours he would do something so stupid. The Eric we knew is gone. He took a very compassionate person from the community. Many teens have it tough. He was given several opportunities to escape the home situation he was in- and didn't. We all make choices, and he made a really bad one. Now, I just hope that when he emerges, he will have used the time to become a better person.
by crystel (crystel_morton666 [at] yahoo.com)
eric is just a kid and everyone needs to remember that he made mistakes just like all of us have...you people need to rememeber that it could of been your child that made that same mistake and then what would you be saying???we need to do more for our children just like the courts should of done more for eric and any other child that is being abused its so easy for you to say you could of left home but intil you are in that kind of invirment you have no clue how hard it is to leave and trust nothing bad will happen to you..its like an abused wife or girlfriend you are scared to dealth to leave...so now think of how hard it is for a child to leave....
by rodney
Eric got what he deserved. He took a life and although he wasn't sentenced to death, he has lost his freedom. Losing his freedom and staying alive will allow him a lifetime to think about the grief he has caused a family. Hopefully this will deter others from doing a similar violent act.
by crystel (crystel_morton666 [at] yahoo.com)
how can you say he got what he deserves??? no he didnt he never even got a chance to know how life should be. he never got the chance to know what real love was, or what it felt like to have a mother and father that loved you uncondionally..no one ever gave eric a chance not the kids at school not the court system not anyone so how can you say he got what he deserves...as far as i am concerned we owe it to this kid and our kids to show them right and wrong and that we love them no matter what they do and that we are on there sides not against them the minute they do something wrong, if this child would have had help when he needed it this would of never happen...
by rodney
Kill someone=go to prison for a long time. He knew the difference bewteen right and wrong. Even my 9 year old knows that it is wrong to bring a gun to school, and she knows that killing someone is wrong. He wasn't insane or mentally retarded. Its not my job to raise him. Its my job to raise my family and protect my family from people like Eric. Mr. Klang and his family are the ones who didn't get what they deserved!!! His children and wife will never get to see him again. Neither will his grandchildren. Eric will be breathing and living and able to see friends and family from prison.

He had the opportunity to apologize at sentencing, but he didn't. Doesn't sound like he has any remorse for what he did.
by crystel
a 16 yr old doesnt belong in prison!!!!!!!! and whether or not he pulled that trigger he is not responsible for what happen, this all could of been prevented if everyone would of been nicer to him and helped him instead everyone picked on him teased him and tortured him , what else was he supposed to do just sit there and let him happen ? ya it was wrong for him to bring a gun to school but he was just tryin to scare them so they would leave him alone and there is nothin wrong with that..and it was a scare gone wrong....there are so many people that do crimes every day and they dont get punished but now because this child made a mistake lets through him in prison ..thats gonna help...PROBALLY NOT.....
by rodney
He is responsible for what he did. He knew the difference between right and wrong and chose wrong. Someone cannot use a gun and shoot someone unless it is self defense to serious threat involving bodily harm. The law is very clear about that. Everything is wrong with bringing a gun to school, even if it is to scare people. This is a crime also!!!! By going to prison, the public will be safer as Eric cannot do this again.
by JAS
What planet are you from? The stupid principal got killed because he would not listen! Kids need to be heard, and when they are not taken seriously the results may be tragic not only for the child but for the people around them. It is people like you that need to rethink life and wake up.
by rodney
Its like people like you that need to wake up and think about the consequences of your actions. What if it was you father, mother, sister or brother that was killed? Think about that for a minute! Think abou the life that was taken and the family that lost a life!!!!! Think about killing someone like Eric did!!! Think about killing a family (because of the murder) that Eric did, because that family will never be the same again!!! You need to think about the tragic results that happen at the hands of a killer!!! Obviously the jury and most people disagree with you.
by crystel (crystel_morton666 [at] yahoo.com)
i completely agree with wyatt..if we would actually listen to these kids then we wouldnt have this problem and what are we paying these princapals and teachers for ? cause they sure arent taking care of our children while there in school cause if they were this would of never of happen....
by crystel (crystel_morton666 [at] yahoo.com)
WELL ITS ABOUT TIME EVERYONE LEFT ERIC ALONE ITS BEEN HOW MANY MONTHS? I HOPE EVERYONE JUST LEAVES HIM ALONE IF YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY ABOUT HIM OR TO HIM PLEASE DONT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL
by rodney
What's best for Eric is irrelevant. What's important is to make sure nobody else loses their spouse or loved one by Eric's hand or actions. Protect society by eliminating the threats. Eric is a threat. The threat has been eliminated.
by Normal
As long as we do not call a spade a spade, a long as we make excuses for socially inexcusable behavior, as long as we victimize perpetrators, we will always have morons supporting criminals.

Eric Hainstock should spend the rest of his life behind bars because he decided that his needs superceded the needs of the people around him. His reaction to being forced to live by the same rules and standards as others was to kill a man whose duty was to attempt to make something positive out of this miscreant. STOP MAKING EXCUSES for anti-social behavior and start worrying about the victims and their families, instead of the killers and criminals who cannot function outside of a jail cell. Cage this animal!
by Chris
Sorry, but I was picked on all through middle school and high school for being a lesbian and you know what? I never brought a gun to school and shot anyone. I actually graduated, went to an Ivy League university and became a productive member of society.

Maybe the problem is that these kids live out in the middle of rural, useless nowhere. Or that they're a generation of selfish, joyless kids who've been bred from clueless parents?

Being a teenager is tough, but no tougher than it was 10 or 15 years ago. It's just that people are getting more moronic and incapable of dealing with adversity.

Either way, taking someone's life because you're frustrated and angry is WRONG.
by James thoms
I have been wondering about people who would live in a place called Baraboo? Who lives there with you wierdos? Caribu? No matter when I come here I read nothing but garbage from Morons!
Yeah Eric did wrong. So did a lot of the ones involved,starting with that walking piece of shit Shawn Hainstock. He deserved to be punished but still the sentence was excessive. Its a wonder any one could crawll out from under all that snow to even attend the trial.
I 'm gonna leave here now before I puke. I'll leave Ya'll to your inbred little world!
by hardtconcentrate (firefox42692 [at] aol.com)
Jesus Christ the fucking kid killed someone!!

Yes he was provoked, but cmon, ever hear of parents, police, or heres a good one how about a lawyer and sue the bullies for all their worth. I mean seriousally if he would kill because of it, lets take that potential energy and use it on sometning constructive.

Fucking morons i swear. Go slit u wrists or play in highway traffic and get the fuck off the internet!!

(go ahead email me on this, and ill give u another piece of my mind)
by Texas Sal
Youth Liberation Front. Give me a damn break. Eric Hainstock, should fry. I don't feel sorry for that kid one fucking bit. I know several people that grew up in abusive homes and neglected homes, and they got through it and went on to live productive lives promising never to raise their kids the same way. Eric should get the death penalty as did his victim, I don't care how old he is. STICK A NEEDLE IN HIM. That's what I say.
So if The Youth Liberation Front is still an organization, you all should be disbanded as you are probably a bunch of snot nosed kids who think you know it all. Dumb asses!!!
by Christine
I myself was a kid who was PICKEDON ALL THROUGH SCHOOL.. alot of you need to GET A LIFE!!!!! My god don't you see what the school system gets ppl EVERYONE FROUROM ERIC'S PARENTS TO THE TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS OF WESTON EVEN THE KIDS MADE ERIC WHAT HE IS YOU ARE ALL THE REASON HE DID WHAT HE DID... FOREVERCHANGED your the one F***** UP IN THE HEAD if you really expect us to beleive that NOT 1 PERSON at your school PICKS ON OTHER KIDS your living in a dream world as far as i am concerned Eric was SCREWED BY HIS PARENTS, HE WAS SCREWED BY HIS TEACHERS AND HE WAS SCREWED BY YOU THE STUDENTS TAKE SOME OF THE BLAME IF YOU ALL HAD NOT ALL MADE HIS LIFE HELL HE MAY NOT HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID.!!!!!!!!!! For you to blame him and only him is wrong EVERY ONE OF YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT YOU THE STUDENTS THE STAFF THE PARENTS MADE ERIC WHAT HE IS LIVE WITH THAT YOU GAVE HIM THE AMMO HE NEEDED TO SNAP WHEN HE SNAPPED HE KILLED YOUR PRINCIPAL HAD YOU ALL OF LEFT HIM ALONE GIVEN HIM A BREAK BEEN FRIENDLY TO HIM AND TREATED HIM LIKE A HUMAN INSTEAD OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL DOORMAT YOUR PRINICPAL WOULD STILL BE ALIVE HAVE FUN LIVING WITH THAT GUILT EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE OH AND FOREVERCHANGED AND FOR ALL THE OTHER WESTON STUDENTS ROT IN HELL WITH YOUR GUILT KNOWING THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE REASON ERI SNAPPED
by Red neck in training (redneckintraining [at] yahoo.com)
Look all you people say that Eric was mistreated, okay so whats your poing a lot of kids are mistreated in school. but all of you are forgetting the most important thing. This clown killed another human person a living breathing person. That person is gone now, but this clown is living can see his family. What about the person that he killed what about his family, there feelings. and you other clowns want to so compassion. Did he show compassion when he killed another human. I think not. He is where he belongs, let him thing about what he has done for the 30 years he is behind bars. But if I were the family ofthe person that he killed when ever he comes up for parole I would be ther to make sure that he stays in prison for the rest of his live. Thank you for listening
by rodney
Christine,

I believe that you are a child or a teenager the way you write and construct sentences. Only Eric pulled the trigger. No one else made him pull the trigger. It is not anyone else's fault. It is his own fault. Too many people today fail to take personal responsibility for their actions. Rather than admit that they are the problem, they blame someone else. These people who constantly blame someone else for their lives being messed up usually end up being poor, unemployed, unhappy and/or in jail.
by susie
This situation is sad for all involved. My heart goes out to the family of the principal. And my heart also goes out to all the students and teachers of the school and my heart also goes out to Erik and his family. Everyone looses in this. All lives have changed forever. But we must remember that Christ died on the cross for our sins and He forgives all sins to those who believe in him. If he can do that, then how can we NOT forgive someone for what they did. Yes Erik did wrong...and I am sure that if he could take it back he would. Have you ever done something in your life that you wish you could change? Ok it might not have been killing someone...but you do know the feeling of wanting to change what just happened. I have what kids being cruel to others. And this should be a lesson to ALL of us...adults and children. Sticks and stones do hurt you and they my not break your bones but they do break your heart and your will.

by Iesha Sprow (s0xs3ductiv3x06 [at] aol.com)
I watched Eric Hainstock's whole trial on Tru TV and I agree 100% that he shouldn't have been punished so harshly. My heart goes out to him and I sympathize with him tremendously. I'm not saying bringing a gun to school and shooting your principle is ok because it's NOT but it's NEVER ok to be abused in your own household or tormented at school for no apparent reason. He didn't deserve to live the way he did; In filth and constantly being verbally and physically abused by family and classmates. It's totally uncalled for and not neccessary at all. I'm going to try to get his address and write him as soon as possible.
by One of those 'Fucked Up' weston students
who the hell do you think you are saying shit about weston? Eric was probly bullied, i believe him, but he has put many kids thru hell. But they didnt seem to mention that in court. Mr. Klang was one of the only people that cared for eric and wat does eric do??? o ya, he picks up a fricking gun and kills him. He took a life and now he has to pay for wat he did. Do you actually no people from weston? dont say shit thats not fucking true, and as far as im concernced you can rott in hell. SCAREW YOU
by AER
It is not surprising to see people judging Eric on a surface level from the safe, warm, and loving environment of their own homes and doing so with out using any information from his toddlerhood on.

Like the woman who has children at that highschool, whose children are probably well adjusted, who live without the threat of physical harm at home and know to be scared of such an event...I have some questions for you and everyone who is clearly responding from the same very personal and unempathetic stance.

Do you think if someone under your watch had sexually abused your children at the age of 4 that all would be well in your children's world? And as a result of being sexually abused, they were taken from you (rather than the abuser being forced to leave). Do you think had their father, who is suppose to protect them from monsters, was in fact a monster and abused and berated your children from toddlerhood on, after you had abandoned them, and all the while, school and social workers enabling it, that your kids would be ok? Nope, not even yours.

And to the apple-cheeked teens writing about Eric as if he was "just mad" and wanted to get back at people: I look forward to reading your comments in 20 years, when you have actually lived with any responsibility whatsoever, possibly have children and have lived a little more life to understand how YOUR childhoods have affected you. Eric was forced to have more "adult" responsibilities regarding his own safety at 4 then you probably have now, in your teens. Is that your fault? No. Was it Eric's? No. It was his dad's, his mom's, his teachers, his social workers, his judges and I am sorry to say, possibly his principals too.

This child, Eric, was nearly destroyed by inaction and an underfunded social work system. If parents in our community are not doing their job (including rich alcoholic unavailable parents), then we need someone to to the job in order to protect innocent children, including Eric and including our own. And the fact is, we gotta pay for it unless we just want to sit back and complain about it until a principal gets shot. It's our choice I guess.

Eric was 15 when he shot his principal, a child still. Not in control of where he lived, or what happened to him there or anywhere. Every adult making the bad decisions regarding his safety and his general well being are responsible for the death of this principal. His absent mother, his despicable father, and the social workers and judges who helped return him to their abusive arms , the parents of his bullies who also like the work "faggot" should all be called to the stand. This is a result of short cuts, short sightedness and a general "not mine" sort of attitude on the parts of his community and they owe it to this boy to pour all of their time and resources into helping him become a balanced and well functioning human being because, as most prison happy people forget, someday, he will get out.


What I am most impressed with are the children who have the depth of understanding to "get" that Eric's experiences as a 4 year old, and the "pinball machine life" he has had has everything to do with the day he brought guns to school - and kids are able to "get it" without condoning the murder. Good job- you will make great parents instilling empathy in your children. You give me, a parent of a toddler, hope for our future.

As for Eric now, it is unfortunate that in a quest to terminate his former life as a physically and emotionally tortured child, he had to take someone else's life too. It is unfortunate that because Eric had so little value to those in his family and community, that the 15 year murdering of his childhood did not evoke any kind of effective or long lasting response until someone of great value to family and the community was murdered. Now we act effectively. Now we are listening and all is not lost. It is not too late.

In honor of Mr Klang, lets do better in finding and saving the 4 year old Eric's out there.
by Ashley Fultz (ashleyfultz70 [at] yahoo.com)
ERIC IS OVER evryone out there that still mourns for him STOP he did what he did and its nothing you can change if you really love him do what he would do live your life in his honor thats what i have been doing for the past three years and they keep going eric is doing fine hes writting his own book he finished high school and hes takeing college classes he is fine its time to move on and be the person you think eric would want you to be .
by Ashley Fultz (ashleyfultz70 [at] yahoo.com)
I'm sorry if my last letter had offended any of you but i know that if Eric were still out then would tell you guys it's going to be alright and now one can change what Eric has done but you can make the future better it has taken me the past year and a half that I shouldn't mourn over what has happened but try not to make the same mistakes and by that i mean throwing my life away i want to life my life to the fullest and do the things that Eric and i had planned to do together but my point is simply you have to move on and don't let the past drag you down. Thank-You,
Readers.
by Jen Strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
I have not forgotten about eric what-so-ever...even though many have. i am currently a senior about to finish up at RAHS and my recent freedoms have got me thinking about eric and his story alot more. Im sorry to everyone on this page for stopping my posts...i was 15 at the time and i began some very self-harming habits. i was diagnosed with PTSD and could not overcome some things i would see on this site. looking back now i was very rude to soe ppeople but it was so easy to get angry when ignorant people came and posted horrible things. I now realize they have not lived my life, have not seen what i have, therefore they can never understand my point of view. i found this poem a few weeks back on my poetry site and thought it might be nice to share with anyone who still looks at this page.

This is SO surreal
This is so surreal
Someone pinch me…
I must be dreaming…
This is just one big nightmare
This must be a joke…
When is someone
Going to pop out and say
GOTCHA!!!
This is so surreal
Who could do that…
Who could push someone that far

Seeing it on the news
Seeing people cry
It must be true
This must have happened
Or how do u describe why
Im feeling this way…
Like there is no hope

This is so surreal
We used to be so close
I knew his secrets
I knew his pain
Then he was dragged away

He didn’t feel like anyone cared
And when none would help him
No one would stick up for him
So He turned to violence to stick up for himself
Since no one was there for him like I was
BACK THEN
This is so surreal
What if I would have been there
Could I have helped?
I don’t know
But now we never will
What’s done is done
There is no turning back now
But the memory will live on
Of this horrible day
written sept 29th, 2006 9:48pm by jen strubel


by Jen Strubel (froggygirl3233 [at] hotmail.com)
I did think about taking legal action. i wanted to take Shawn down for what he lead eric to do. I took the idea to my mom but she would not go along with it. she didn't see the point in trying to fight shawn...it wouldnt help eric at all...but now i am wondering can you file chargers so many years later? and how would i go about doing that and on what grounds could i. The police were called and he was escorted off the grounds...i wonder what eric whent through that night when he went home *cringes* anyway. anyone with any answers i would be glad to here from you and anyoewho is curious about the full story feel free to email me
by Mark Tesey
I don't really know how to feel about this. I do feel sorry for Eric that he suffered severe bullying and that when he told his father and the principal of Weston High, nothing was done. I think he had somewhat of a justification in killing the principal, after all the principal remained ignorant when Hainstock told him that he was being bullied. Also, I am really f**king annoyed with hearing people feel sorry for all the school shooting victims. ALL, as I said. I just don't feel much sympathy for those jocks, cheerleader b*tches, and prayer group girls that were killed at Columbine. Murder is not a law of f**king nature, and Im sorry to say but I just don't have much sympathy for the principal.
by ASHLEY FULTZ (ashleyfultz70 [at] yahoo.com)
MARK u have issues u should feel bad for both Eric and Klang they both lost because in Murder neither side wins.
by Jen
but I followed the story closely. It is possible for a person to feel sympathy towards the Klang family and ALL families that went through a hard time there, and also feel sympathy towards Eric.

I personally feel that no child should be charged as an adult. Granted, the crime is just as heinous as any adult crime, he is not an adult.

From what I've read on other websites, he is doing well and has a mentor in prison. His cell mate helps him, looks after him and is helping him write letters and such. I think it's a horrible situation for anyone to be in. I myself was bullied in jr high and high school. I didn't go around proclaiming evil thoughts on anyone (like killing them) but I do know how hard it is to be in that situation, and because of that situation when there was someone being picked on, you tend to join up with the people picking on them. I've said my fair share of harsh words and I'm sure made people feel bad. It's just how it happens. CHILDREN do not know or realize how strongly their words can come across. So if a child isn't knowing, how can they be convicted like that? They know that the words coming from someone else hurts, but in retaliation, it really isn't thought about. Just my opinion.

I DO think his sentence is too harsh. I think forms of help could have been offered to him, yes he still should have been locked up, but for life? with adults?? I think that's just way too much. He needs help, he doesn't need to be hardened in prison or broken down anymore. Why are officials so blind to this?
by ashley
I dated eric a while ago when we had went to church camp... when i would call his home and either his mother or father would pick up and i could hear him crying in the background ... when ever we talked he always talked in a whisper... i am almost 18 years of age and to tell you the truth i never would have thought that this would happen.... eric is a good kid that is just turned in the wrong direction. i think that anyone who likes to talk shit and say he isnt worth is a total ass... i still to this day have the picture and letter he wrote to me... i wrote eric every other day ...until one day i called him and asked why he wasn't writing me ...well it turns out his step mother was keeping everyone of my letters...i dont really understand what the hell is up with his family...but to tell you people the truth his family as in father and step mother caused this whole thing ... if he wasn't treated like crap every day of this life he wouldn't be where he is now......Man i just wish that if i ever met his parents i would tell em to do them selves ...he did not need treatment like that at home ...all he wants is love and affection but who is going to give him that now!!!
by ashley
listen here little immature kid you must not know what immature means because that's all you think about is your damn self... he went to that person you call A PRINCIPAL ... if a child is being harassed then the school authorities are suppose to take care of it not let it get worse you hear about school shootings all the time but for what.... BECAUSE YOU IGNORANT ASS ....THE KID IS ALWAYS BEING HARASSED... betcha millions that if some shit that he went through happened to you you would snapp off as well you cant even say that you wouldn't because you have no idea you just black out .... so if you want to keep talkin horseshit then you should probably empty out the barn because its getting pretty high in here ... full of bs
by Ashley Fultz
Eric was my cousin and a good person i do not approve of what he has done but i still love him you people that talk trash about him are wrong haven't you ever heard the expression Damn the sin not the sinner. I am sick when i see people on this site talking trash or saying hes horrible people that say he was a horrible person didn't really know him and yes i knew John Klang he was a very kind,descent,and caring man i have all the sympathy in the world for the Klang Family
by ASHLEY SWAIM (FULTZ)
THIS SITE is only for people that are greiving for ERIC so if your are coming on here to talk shit then stay off this site
by rodney
People come to this site to express opinions contrary to the original poster's immoral opinion. If you don't like it Ashley, then don't read the opinions expressed by people who have a different opinion than you.
I'm sorry that Hainstock felt he had nowhere to turn...but guess what? Much like him, kids made my life a living hell in middle school, but as difficult a time as it was, I didn't shoot anyone. What did I do, you ask? I hung in there, and overcame my troubled past to enjoy the successful career I have today.

Yes, maybe Clang (God rest his soul) should've taken more decisive action, and it's a shame he didn't do so, but did that really warrant a death sentence at Hainstock's hands? The bottom line is that a principal/husband/father was taken from his students and loved ones, who will feel that loss every day.

Oh, and if you did some research, you'd see that Hainstock's adjusted well to life in prison: he can learn and study in peace, any attempts by inmates to mess w/him are immediately dealt with, and he doesn't have to deal w/his SOB father making his life miserable. Who knows, maybe he'll even be released sometime in the future, once he's paid his debt to society and experts are convinced he can function well in the outside world. But in the meantime, he needs to serve his sentence and contemplate the error of his ways...what he did was not "sticking it to the man", it was an act of cowardice that was rightfully punished.
by concerned parent
I understand both sides of this case yes eric was only 15 and he was picked on terribly but still as a young parent my self it worries me that a child who is only 15 brings a gun to school and shoots the principle come on this is horrible at the same time Mr klang was a father and everything yes the school over looked alot of serious problems that could have all stopped all of this but at the same time eric should have gone to the cops or friends and other close ppl should have tried to help him...many people knew what his situation was like so why didnt any one try to help him more???My husband went to school with eric and yes he picked on him too he wasnt a jock or any thing and my husband himself got picked on terribly and his living conditions was nothing of a normal child hood..in fact many kids get picked on and have bad childhoods but doesnt give him the right to shoot any one...my husband also was one of those trouble maker kids always skipping class getting into fights falling asleep in class and what not but he has talked to me alot about the shooting seeing how he was in the hallway when it happened he told me that mr klang was one of the best principles he had which that means alot coming from some one who hates school or any thing related to it...i would think of all ppl that have made erics life hard i would think he would have taken it out on his dad not other ppl his dad was the one that pretty much caused everything.I also think that for his age he did get along sentence when other children who have done similar things get away with less sentencing but at the same time it would make me worried if he got out of jail would my husbands life be at risk or other people who i might know would they be at risk of getting shot?? i dont know if it is true but have heard it from many ppl that eric also had a hitlist who he would have all killed and if thats the case then he either needs to be in jail or a mental instition because who is too say he wouldnt snap again and do worse...im truley sorry if i have offended any one this is only my opinon and sorry for all the ones who miss eric but at the same time do you think he should be put away for everyones safety if friends could have never suspected he would have followed through with this horrible event. Then whose to say he wouldnt do more of this if he were to get out
by chelz.
Okay so i dont even know this dude but ive serched and read alot about what happened and he should not be in there for life i mean damn yea he did somethin that is wrong but, honestly his whole life? i mean wow thtas a long time, and he was only 15 i am srry for whoever thinks he deserves it cuz i dont, he should just be in for a few years not his entire lilfe.
by Brook Hainstock
eric is my cousin i spent everyday with him i even went to tht shity ass school of weston everyone there thinks tht they r the shit n can do whtever they want, yeah wht eric did wasnt rite by any means but i know he didnt mean to kill anyone i know him better than tht i know how hard his life was i was there with him when his dumb ass family beat him n kept him up at all hours of the night to do house work or feed the stupid dogs or some other bullshit i apent everyday of my life trying to keep him alive none of u know wht he went through he use to try n kill himself just to get away from his family n his life i watched him try to cut his wrist open n ppl just walked rite by him like nothing was wrong i had to grab the knife n puss him down to save him everyday i seen him he had got beaten n i couldnt do nothing for him he was my best friend n i love him with all my heart but everyone no matter wht deserves another chance no matter the cost he deserves to be able to have a family and start over in life but it's ass holes like u tht wont give him the chance i know many ppl from weston n i hear all the time them saying if eric ever got out tht they will kill him, 2 wrong dont make a rite n if u think tht is ur full of shit ur just as low as u think eric is so all u hater can fuck off n if anyone from weston has anything to say, say it to me n i will strighten u out myself u worthless cunts
by ASHLEY FULTZ
Brooke It's nice too know i'm not the only one still defending Eric I still love you and always will people that talk shit on him will pay in the end
by cristina (skateboarder [at] q.com)
look, most teens who start shooting people are doing it because they get teased and molested and are hurting inside. what if people befriend all these outcasts. even other outcasts can befriend outcasts. im kinda one, and its not that hard people. i mean skater girls can make a difference. we all can make a difference. no im not high i dont do drugs, this is 4 real. please think about this. the goody 2 shoes sk8er says so.
by His cousin
u guys are all wrong every single one of you you guys have no right to argue over what he did you dont no him like i do i loved my cousin and still do he was my roll model until he was accused of murder when the janitor should be charged too y would u wrestle a guy with a loaded weapon to the ground and y would u run at that person ur asking to get shot if you do that eric was a awesome cousin and yes there were alot of problems in the household and also out and if u were eric family member reading threw this watching u guys put him down and some of you stand up for him he did what he did nobody can take it back but i believe he shouldnt of been charged with that much time
by steven smith
I graduated from Weston High School in 1997. With the exception of home life I also received harsh treatment from students and teachers for not playing sports and being bisexual and for wearing clothes from Good Will. Although I received silent love and support from my principal, Jack Drew, who retired the year I graduated, disciplinary action was never taken against my abusers. So I understand to an extent what Eric was going through. I see nothing ever changes at that school.
by Gasser
Your comment is way off base, John was my cousin, and was a great man who cared about his family and students. Didn't deserve to die.
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