CHARDON, Ohio, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Attorneys for a teen suspected in an Ohio high school shooting said they are seeking to have his confession withheld at trial.
Lawyers for Thomas "TJ" Lane, now 18, said relatives talking on cellphones in the Chardon police station hours after the fatal shooting did not realize they were being recorded and their words could be used as evidence. Lane's legal team also filed a motion questioning whether their client was properly read his Miranda rights before allegedly admitting he was the triggerman who shot and killed three people and seriously wounded two others, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday.
Prosecutors have yet to respond to the motions.
The case will turn on Lane's mental state at the time of the shooting. Defense attorneys have filed a rare not guilty by reason of insanity plea on Lane's behalf and will need to prove their client was delusional and incapable of knowing what he was doing was wrong when he killed the three students outside Chardon High School outside of Cleveland in February.
Lane, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, faces life in prison. Because he was a juvenile at the time he cannot be sentenced to death.
