Based on a screenshot of a Facebook comment without context or verification from Facebook an 18 year-old was detained for months without trial and offered a plea bargain of 8 years jail. An unaffordable bail of $500k was set, and if not for media attention, pro bono counsel, and a generous anonymous donor he would still be detained. During his detention he was repeatedly sexually assaulted, withheld legal counsel, and coerced to confess with false promises of freedom. After media focus an offer of 10 years probation was put forward.
I'll wager there are 3 things at play: 1) The sealed restraining order. 2) The warning from f'ing Canada. 3) The rationalization that you'll get in a lot less trouble for being overly cautious than for being overly lenient. Any DA looking at this in a post-Sandy Hook environment goes "white nerd loner with a history of threats attracts attention a country away for threatening schoolchildren." It takes bravery to go "but he clearly didn't mean it, and I'm so confident that I'll take the career blowback if he does shoot up a kindergarten." I'd also wager they'd love to go "get some therapy so we can forget this whole thing" but they can't compel therapy without a guilty verdict. So their choice is "oops, our bad" or "yes we're doubling down on this." A shitty situation all around.
I agree. Plus he was 18, not 8. If you still think that joking about child massacre is somehow hilarious by the time you reach adulthood, you can go get fucked for all I care. I'm not saying that the treatment he got was or wasn't disproportionate, I'm just saying I truly don't give a shit about him. There are far worse things to get worked up about than this.