A teen accused of plotting a mass shooting was sentenced Wednesday to probation with strict conditions, including inpatient treatment.
Vincent Llamas, 18, pleaded guilty in March to threatening to cause bodily harm or death to a pupil or school employee, conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon, and battery constituting domestic violence.
Police said he wrote in a notebook entry, “I lied, I’m doing it today, the massacre” and also discussed how he would attack a library during a children’s club. He went so far as to name targets, acquire weapons and explore ways to obtain guns, according to authorities.
District Judge Mary Kay Holthus said she was in “a horrible spot,” faced with keeping Llamas in custody and then having him released without treatment or putting him on probation, where she could supervise him and he could hopefully succeed in treatment.
She ordered him to serve five years’ probation, complete an inpatient mental health program, abstain from alcohol, submit to electronic monitoring, avoid contact with victims in the case and have no access to 3D printers.
He and his electronics will be subject to search by probation officers. He will remain on house arrest. Because of the domestic violence conviction, he will not be allowed to legally own a gun.
Prosecutors and Llamas had agreed to probation with conditions.
“I think it’s going to be a win/win for both sides,” said defense attorney Frank Coumou.
Coumou said Llamas’ mother died when he was a child and he is not in touch with his father. He noted that family members notified police when Llamas was in crisis, which Holthus said gave her comfort regarding the plea deal.
“Basically, we are right now acting like his parents,” the lawyer said. “Unfortunately, the legal system is a bit more difficult, maybe harsher. That’s what maybe Mr. Llamas needs, and I do believe, knowing Mr. Llamas, knowing the family, he’s going to do well.”
According to Coumou, Llamas has had no issues while on electronic monitoring. He was accepted to an inpatient facility in Las Vegas, the lawyer said.
“I’m very ashamed of my past actions, and I’m going to dedicate the rest of my life to being a better person and to fixing all the wrongs,” Llamas told the judge. “I didn’t hurt anybody, thank God, but I still want to make it up to everyone I let it cause emotional harm to.”
“All we can do is help you get help,” Holthus said after he spoke. “You’ve got to take advantage of it.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Eckley Keach said after court that addressing Llamas’ mental health issues and ensuring he could not act on his prior statements was the most important outcome for the community and the defendant.
“Justice was served today by the plea and the sentence, which was ordering this high school teen to do intensive mental health treatment and to be on constant supervision for the next five years,” he said. “The goal is to reintegrate him into society.”
A threat assessment report filed with the court indicated serious concerns.
“His behavior begins with chronic grievance and social rejection, which evolves into persistent violent ideation and identification with prior attackers,” it said. “This is followed by extensive research and planning, including weapon selection, tactical considerations, and site-specific targeting. He then advances into the preparation phase through efforts to acquire weapons, as well as a potential breach attempt by bringing an edged weapon to school. Taken together, these behaviors reflect a sustained, escalating pattern of movement from ideation toward attack.”
The report also identified some positive factors, like family intervention and Llamas disclosing his distress. It recommended restricting access to weapons, monitoring medication adherence and treating issues such as grievance-based thinking and emotional dysregulation.
Coumou contested the analysis that Llamas showed a sustained and escalating trajectory toward an attack. After receiving treatment, he is now a different person, the attorney said.
The Metropolitan Police Department previously disagreed with prosecutors’ decision not to pursue a terrorism charge Llamas initially faced when he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
Keach said Metro did a good job investigating the case. The district attorney’s office made its decision to prosecute based on probable cause, he said, and Llamas pleaded guilty to the most severe charge for which he was prosecuted, the threat-related charge.
He also said that Metro ultimately agreed that the plea terms were the best way to prevent Llamas from causing additional harm.
“From the outset, our investigators viewed this as a serious threat and took swift action to prevent potential harm,” Metro said in a statement Wednesday. “While there were differing legal perspectives throughout the process, prosecutorial decisions ultimately shaped the final resolution, and our focus remained on ensuring safeguards, treatment, and ongoing supervision were in place to reduce the risk of future harm.”
The prosecutor said the plea agreement’s conditions are designed to address Llamas’ extremism.
FBI experts said the de-escalation program Llamas will undergo is the type of approach that should be taken to mitigate future harm, according to the prosecutor.
“I think this case underscores the ongoing concerns of violence in schools and the need to constantly be vigilant in making sure that children who are spiralling are identified early” so they can be treated, he said.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
