A trove of social media activity and a sightseeing pilgrimage to Columbine preceded what authorities allege could have been a collaborative effort between would-be mass murderers.
According to authorities, 23-year-old Elizabeth Lecron of Toledo, Ohio has been busy. Fortunately, police acted in time.
Lecron was arrested today after authorities allege she purchased two pounds of gunpowder and 600 screws two days earlier. She has been charged with one count of transportation of explosives and explosive material for the purpose of harming others and property, and faces up to 10 years in prison.
“Underlying all of these plans, though, was Ms. Lecron’s fascination with mass casualty events,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman.
In addition to journal entries that made Lecron’s involvement in a plan to commit an “upscale mass murder,” a search of Lecron’s home in August revealed an AK-47, along with a shotgun, handguns, bullets and end caps used for building pipe bombs.
The FBI has yet to identify the specific target of the would-be attackers, choosing to describe it as a local bar.
According to FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeff Fortunato, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force began an investigation after receiving a tip about an individual who expressed a desire to commit a violent attack. Lecron had been corresponding with Dylann Roof, the white supremacist mass murderer responsible for death of 9 black parishioners Charleston, South Carolina’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015. Authorities allege Lecron, who had been in correspondence with Roof since at least July, had attempted to send Roof Nazi literature.
Her latest active Tumblr profile, which she operated with the username “CharlestonChurchMiracle,” regularly posted photos and comments on mass shootings, including her praise of “God-like” school shooters, according to the FBI. Her avatar, a picture of Roof in prison stripes with angel’s wings, sat just above her blog description:
“lets get this murder. 23. call me Bee.”
Her blog, which was still active at the time of this article’s writing, featured posts glorifying Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, along with others devoted to Sandy Hook murderer Adam Lanza and Isla Vista shooter Elliot Rodger.