Disturbing Sexual Developments in the Amish School Slaying

Yesterday, a milkman in Nickel Mines Pennsylvania stormed an Amish school house and shot ten little girls, execution style. Five of the girls have now died, and five others remain hospitalized. Of the survivors, four remain in critical condition. Most of the victims were shot in the head.

This week has seen a rash of school shootings, but the premeditated nature of the Amish school slaying has stunned the nation. The gunman, Charles Carl Roberts, left suicide notes behind - one for his wife, and one for each of his three children. When he stormed the schoolhouse, he was equipped for a prolonged siege. He brought with him not only guns and planks of wood to bar the doors, but also a variety of tools including wires, tape, and bolts.

He also brought two tubes of sexual lubricant.

It should be noted that the gunman did not simply storm the schoolhouse and start firing. He first released the little boys, then the adults. He was only interested in holding hostage the girls, ranging in ages from six to thirteen. When he had them isolated and lined up against the chalk board, he tied them together.

It now seems likely that he intended to do more than kill them.

It has come to light that Roberts may have sexually molested two younger female relatives almost twenty years ago. (If the incident actually occurred, Roberts would have been a child himself at the time.) He wrote about this in a suicide note to his wife, in which he confessed to dreaming about "molesting again."

Police say there is no evidence that any of the girls were sexually assaulted, but that may be because the prolonged standoff that Roberts seemed to have planned, did not take place. When the gunman became aware of a police presence, he started shooting the girls in the back of the head.

This caused police to charge the building.

It does not appear that Roberts held any grudge against the Amish in particular, from whom he picked up milk as part of his job.

Rather, it seems he exploited the simplicity of the one-room Amish schoolhouse, because it would be easier to break into and capture. His suicide notes indicated that he was angry at God because of the death of his infant daughter three years ago.

Two of the five girls he shot were sisters. One of the girls was shot in the shoulder and is expected to make a full recovery. The other four survivors still struggle for their lives.