SPOKANE, Wash. -- A former high school student accused of killing one classmate and wounding three others during a 2017 shooting at a Washington state school pleaded guilty Thursday to several charges.
Caleb Sharpe, 20, will be sentenced on Jan. 18 in Spokane County Superior Court.
Sharpe entered his plea on one count of premediated murder, three counts of attempted murder and numerous counts of second-degree assault.
The courtroom was packed with family members and law enforcement.
Ami Strahan, whose son was killed in the shooting, sat in the front row, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Sharpe was 15 when he shot and killed 15-year-old Freeman High School classmate Sam Strahan on Sept. 13, 2017, and wounded three other students before he was disarmed by a custodian.
The assault charges cover students who were in the vicinity of the shootings at the school but were not injured.
Superior Court Judge Michael Price had recently rebuffed Sharpe's defense team from offering a diminished capacity or insanity defense. Price also ruled that Sharpe would be tried as an adult, despite being a minor when he went to school armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a .32-caliber handgun.
Sharpe has remained in the Spokane County jail since his arrest.
His trial was scheduled to begin Jan. 18.
The judge was originally set to hear arguments Thursday on whether the trial should be moved to another county, as the defense believed media coverage of the case would impact their ability to select a fair and impartial jury.
Freeman High School officials said in an emailed statement they were relieved the case had been settled.
"This has been a very difficult four years to endure for our Freeman community, especially for the families of the victims," the statement said. "The plea agreement closes this chapter of the tragedy and avoids having to experience the trauma all over again."
Sharpe faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Defense attorneys asked for a reduced sentence of 20 years because he was a minor at the time.