By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

John Lawrence Schultz IV

ROCHESTER — A five-day jury trial for a Rochester man who allegedly plotted a Columbine-type massacre in Fulton County is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in Fulton Circuit Court.

John Lawrence Schultz IV, 20, 630 W. 6th St., Rochester, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, both level 2 felonies; and possession of methamphetamine, possession of a narcotic drug, and two counts of intimidation, all level 6 felonies.

Schultz took the case to trial in July 2021. However, after about seven hours of deliberation, a 12-person jury came to an impasse in reaching a verdict. All members agreed to a verdict on one of Schultz’s charges; however, one juror was not in agreement with the other 11 members on two of Schultz’s charges. A mistrial was then declared.

Since the mistrial, the State of Indiana has filed three additional charges against Schultz. A narcotic drug possession charge alleges that in July 2020, Schultz was in possession of heroin.

A second conspiracy to commit murder charge and a second intimidation charge were also filed. Rochester and Caston Schools, the districts Schultz allegedly plotted to commit school shootings at, have now been separated by the state into separate charges. Schultz now faces conspiracy to commit murder and intimidation charges for each school district.

If found guilty on a Level 2 felony, Schultz could receive up to a 30-year prison sentence.

Jury selection is taking place Friday, Jan. 28, in Miami County.

Schultz’s co-defendant, Donald Victor Robin Jr., 19, was sentenced in March 2021 to 17 years in the Indiana Department of Correction 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.”

The informant visited Schultz and Robin 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.