Accused SPU shooter pleads not guilty, will pursue insanity defense

Aaron Ybarra appeared in court Monday morning.



SEATTLE -- Aaron Ybarra, the 26-year-old man accused of killing one and wounding two others in a shooting on the Seattle Pacific University campus, pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges Monday.

Ybarra and his defense team plan to pursue a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, the judge said in court.

The Mountlake Terrace man is charged with killing SPU student Paul Lee and injuring Sarah Williams and Thomas Folwer in a shooting at Otto Miller Hall on June 5. If convicted, Ybarra could face as much as life in prison.

According to King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Ybarra planned for the attack weeks and even months ahead of time, and decided on SPU after considering other Washington colleges such as Eastern Washington University and Washington State University.

Ybarra kept a journal, Satterberg said, detailing his admiration for mass killers and hoping to add his name to a list of well-known school shooters.

“I just want people to die,” Ybarra allegedly wrote in his journal. “And I’m going to die with them.”

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.