Man slashed kids to send them to God
Associated Press
April 29, 2002 16:55:00

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man who slashed school children under the delusion that he could send them to God by killing them was sentenced Monday to two consecutive 99-year prison terms.

Jason Pritchard, 34, will be 100 years old before he is eligible for parole under the sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Dan Hensley, who also concluded that Pritchard was guilty but mentally ill.

That means he is not eligible for release on furlough or parole until he's cured. The Corrections Department would be required to seek civil commitment if Pritchard still is mentally ill after serving 66 years, or even his full sentence.

Pritchard on May 7 carried a filet knife to Mountain View Elementary School and stabbed or slashed three boys - brothers Billy Moy, 8, and Eric Moy, 9, and Cody Brown, 8 - as they stood in line with other children for the school's breakfast program. A fourth boy wriggled away.

Pritchard then went inside the school, pulled Stephan Hansell, 7, from underneath a desk and slashed his throat.

The children suffered cuts up to 2 inches deep, and in some cases, almost from ear to ear. Only Pritchard's haste or the grace of God allowed the four boys to survive, said Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Bachman.

"These wounds were killing wounds," she said.

Pritchard pleaded no contest in October to two counts of attempted murder.

Hensley said Pritchard was diagnosed with extreme schizophrenia. His multiple victims and their vulnerability put Pritchard in the worst class of offenders, Hensley said, and the judge concluded that Pritchard was likely to be an extreme danger to the public for the rest of his life.