Justin Carter: Facebook ‘Threat’ Teen Jailed Since February

Justin Carter’s Facebook post about school shooting, appended with “LOL,” led to a felony charge and months in prison as he waits for trial.

It began with Justin Carter’s Facebook status update months ago, in which the Austin, Texas 19-year-old said he was “messed up in the head.”

Carter, who was pegged in an anonymous tip, said he wanted to “shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of [the] innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them.”

Justin Carter’s Facebook post led to a felony count of making a terroristic threat, and he’s currently being held in solitary confinement.

Mom Jennifer says that she can’t understand how the post has led to so much pre-trial jail time, telling CNN:

“We honestly assumed that once the police spoke to him they would understand that this was just a joking comment that he made and that it wasn’t serious.”

Dad Jack Carter says Justin has grown despondent in prison, adding:

“He’s very depressed. He’s very scared and he’s very concerned that he’s not going to get out… He’s pretty much lost all hope.”

The elder Carter contextualizes Justin Carter’s Facebook “threat,” saying it was a reference to the comment of another gamer and wholly sarcastic. He says:

“Someone had said something to the effect of ‘Oh you’re insane. You’re crazy. You’re messed up in the head.’ To which he replied ‘Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head. I’m going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still-beating hearts.’ ”

When Jack Carter learned of Justin’s looming arrest, he says:

“I thought it was a joke… I couldn’t believe the person that called me. I kept telling them they have to be kidding. When I realized he wasn’t, I literally broke down crying.”

Justin Carter’s Facebook “threat” and subsequent charges resulted in half a million dollars bail set — prohibitively high for the family. He faces up to eight years in jail.