Part 2: This Teen Planned A School Shooting. But Did He Break The Law?

The 2018 arrest of Vermont teenager Jack Sawyer raised some big legal questions. Among them: At what point does a thought — or even a plan — become a crime? Copyright 2019 Vermont Public Radio. To see more, visit Vermont Public Radio . ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Should someone be allowed to think, quote, "I want to shoot up my old school" or write that down in a journal? What if they did that and then bought a gun? Those are the big legal questions raised by the arrest of Vermont teenager Jack Sawyer. In 2018, authorities accused him of attempted murder. Our colleagues at Vermont Public Radio have been reporting on this case and how it touched on a fundamental tension at the heart of our criminal justice system. At what point does a thought or even a plan become a crime? Here's Part 2 of our series with reporters Nina Keck and Liam Elder-Connors. LIAM ELDER-CONNORS, BYLINE: When Jack Sawyer was arrested, he told detectives he wanted to set a new record - highest death count for a school