Michael Adam Carneal was born on June 1, 1983, to John Adam and Ann Carneal. He grew up in McCracken County, Kentucky, and entered Heath High School as a 14-year-old freshman in fall 1997 Wikipedia. Little is publicly documented about his early childhood or academic performance, but reports indicate he felt isolated and believed classmates taunted him, contributing to his sense of alienation; he later told reporters he “couldn’t give a single explanation” for his actions.

On the morning of December 1, 1997, Carneal wrapped two long guns in a blanket as an alleged art project and carried them into Heath High School, then withdrew a loaded Ruger MK II .22-caliber pistol from his backpack at around 7:45 a.m..

He inserted earplugs, approached a student prayer group in the lobby, and fired ten rapid shots, killing freshmen Nicole Hadley (14), sophomore Kayce Steger (15), and senior Jessica James (17), and injuring six others (five by gunfire, one by graze).

After emptying his magazine, Carneal laid the weapon on the floor and surrendered to Principal Bill Bond; he begged a classmate to kill him, saying, “Kill me, please. I can’t believe I did that”. He was indicted on three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder as an adult on December 12, 1997, and in October 1998 pleaded guilty but mentally ill. The plea deal secured a life sentence with parole eligibility after 25 years, explicitly allowing for mental-health treatment during incarceration.

Over the years, Carneal’s appeals to withdraw his plea and to seek a new trial on grounds of mental incompetence were denied by both the Kentucky Supreme Court and the U.S. Sixth Circuit. In September 2022, the Kentucky Parole Board unanimously voted to deny his bid for release, ordering that he serve out the remainder of his life sentence without further parole consideration.