JONESBORO, Ark., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- An Arkansas man jailed since 1998 for killing five people in a school shooting was released from prison Thursday on his 21st birthday.
Arkansas has no laws to impose life sentences on children convicted of murder, so Mitchell Johnson was released as an adult, KATV-TV, Little Rock, reported.
On March 23, 1998, Johnson, then 13, and 11-year-old Drew Golden waited in the Westside Middle School yard in Jonesboro during a prank fire alarm and then opened fire, killing four girls and a teacher.
Johnson's mother says her son is truly sorry for what he's done and has even expressed interest in becoming a minister. She said her son will move from Arkansas after his release and likely enroll in college.
Brandi Varner, a sister of one of the victims, was incensed at Johnson's release.
"He robbed five families from their loved ones and now he gets to walk free and live the life that they should have lived. How can you justify that?" she asked.
