Ohio School Shooter Escapes From Prison

Defense attorney Ian Friedman, left, talks with T.J. Lane during sentencing Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, was given three lifetime prison sentences without the possibility of parole Tuesday for ope... Defense attorney Ian Friedman, left, talks with T.J. Lane during sentencing Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, was given three lifetime prison sentences without the possibility of parole Tuesday for opening fire last year in a high school cafeteria in a rampage that left three students dead and three others wounded. Lane, 18, had pleaded guilty last month to shooting at students in February 2012 at Chardon High School, east of Cleveland. (AP Photo/The News-Herald, Duncan Scott, Pool) MORE LESS
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This post has been updated.

The convicted killer in a 2012 Ohio school shooting escaped from prison on Thursday night, according to multiple reports.

T.J. Lane, who pleaded guilty to killing three people at Chardon High School in February 2012, was serving life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Allen County Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio.

Lane, who was 17 at the time of the murders, killed three students in a shooting that began in the school cafeteria, as the Associated Press reported. Three other people were injured. He wore a shirt that read “KILLER” during his trial and made obscene comments to the families of his victims after being sentenced.

Lane reportedly escaped with two other inmates, though one of the escapees was quickly apprehended. The Associated Press reported that the other inmate, Clifford Opperud, had been imprisoned for aggravated robbery, burglary, and kidnapping. Lane and Opperud were not believed to be armed.

“It’s wild,” Ian Friedman, Lane’s attorney during his trial, told The Plain Dealer. “I’m sure there will be a lot of questions asked about how the correctional facility could allow this to happen.”

“I can’t speak to what his mindset is,” he said. “But I don’t think anyone would dispute the fact that he’s a very smart young man.”

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