Former student gets lengthy prison term for 2014 stabbing of 20 students at Pennsylvania high school
A man who wounded 20 students and a security guard in a 2014 attack at a Pennsylvania high school has been sentenced to serve 23½ to 60 years in prison.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Alex Hribal also must pay more than $269,000 in restitution.
Hribak pleaded guilty last year to 21 counts each of attempted homicide and aggravated assault. Hribal was 16 in April 2014 when he used two kitchen knives to slash or stab 20 students and a security guard in a hallway at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pa. Four students suffered life-threatening injuries, but all survived.
Before imposing sentence, Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani said Hribal’s actions were "not the results of bullying," as the defense had argued. The prison sentence was based on the seriousness of his actions and the physical and emotional scars left on the victims and their families, the judge said.
"I feel horrible about everything," Hribal said. "There's no words I can use, and nothing I can say, to make it all better. There's nothing I can say to fix it."
Some stabbing victims spoke at the hearing.
Kolden Cook, 19, who was a sophomore when the attack occurred, was stabbed in the back. "Does he feel a sense of righteousness or a sense of regret?" he asked. "If he feels the latter, there might be some hope."
