'People I will kill' list leads to house arrest for 14-year-old Heber boy


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HEBER CITY — A Heber boy is under house arrest after he was discovered with a list of people he was allegedly planning to hurt.

Heber City police were called to Rocky Mountain Middle School Wednesday afternoon after a teacher discovered the list. The teacher knew the student well, according to police chief Dave Booth, and thought the student was acting odd.

Acting on a hunch, the teacher sat down with the student to talk to him, Booth said.

"The boy had the list with him and kind of kept crumpling the paper up, kept trying to conceal it, and as the teacher spoke with him he said, ‘Why don't you let me take a look at what's in your hand? Is that part of the problem?' " Booth said. "The boy gave him the list, and the teacher was able to see what was on it and report it."

The list, which included some notes, was titled "People I will Kill" and included the names of six fellow students, according to Booth. He said it appears the boy was serious in his intentions.


We believe this follows the same pattern as other instances across the nation.

–Dave Booth


"We believe this follows the same pattern as other instances across the nation," Booth said. "We believe the difference is we were able to intervene early enough to keep anything from happening."

The boy was suspended from school and arrested for investigation of six charges of harassment and six charges of threats against life or property. Following a court hearing Friday, he was released into the custody of his parents, but placed under house arrest until a future court hearing. The parents of the six students named in the note have been notified.

Booth said a common frustration in law enforcement is when people say after a crime is committed that they suspected something would happen. He said the important thing is to notify police as soon as suspicions are raised.

"This is what happened in this case," Booth said. "You had a teacher who, one, saw a problem, but the bigger thing is that they acted upon what they saw and brought it to our attention, which always makes for a lot better of an outcome versus people who do so well at burying their head in the sand and not saying anything."

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