By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

John Lawrence Schultz IV

ROCHESTER — A five-day jury trial for a Rochester teen who allegedly plotted a Columbine-type massacre in Fulton County is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday, July 26, in Fulton Circuit Court.

John Lawrence Schultz IV, 19, 630 W. 6th St., Rochester, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, a level 2 felony; and intimidation and possession of methamphetamine, both level 6 felonies.

If found guilty on the Level 2 felony, Schultz could receive 10 to 30 years in prison.

Jury selection is taking place July 23 and will be held in Miami County Circuit Court.

Schultz’s co-defendant, Donald Victor Robin Jr., 18, was sentenced on March 8 to 17 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections for conspiracy to commit murder. Nine years of Robin’s sentence was suspended on probation. Robin is incarcerated in the Westville Correctional Facility with an estimated release date of Dec. 30, 2026. As part of his plea agreement, Robin has agreed to cooperate with the state on testifying during Schultz’s jury trial.

According to court documents, the Rochester Police Department was notified by an anonymous informant on July 13, 2020, that “Johnny Schultz IV and some friends are planning a school massacre … they have a bunch of guns and they are waiting for school to open to ‘kill a bunch of kids.'”

The informant visited the suspects several times and saw them smoking methamphetamine during their conversations. They also said the two always played music from the Columbine massacre and sang songs about it. The informant told officers they hadn’t seen guns but “knew they had a lot of them and bragged about them.” They said Schultz and Robin were getting ready for the massacre “because they are going to kill as many as they can and kill themselves just like Columbine.”

Dating back to May 12, 2020, Schultz posted several veiled threats on his two Facebook pages, including a graphic of a partial skeleton and a photo collage with an image of Columbine shooter Eric Harris. One post also referenced the song “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People.

Officers also found information that on July 15, 2020, Schultz and Robin changed their names on Facebook messenger to Columbine massacre references. Pictures of tattoos on Schultz and Robin were also discovered. The tattoo on Schultz’s arm is of a shotgun very similar to one Eric Harris used in the Columbine shooting.

The Columbine shooting on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., happened after two teens went on a shooting spree, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others, before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide.