A Texas jury has cleared the parents of Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the perpetrator of the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, from liability for allowing their mentally ill son access to firearms despite his violent tendencies. The verdict was delivered on Monday, absolving Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos of any legal responsibility in the tragic incident.
While the parents were found not liable, Dimitrios Pagourtzis himself was held accountable for the deadly rampage. Additionally, the jury found online ammunition retailer Luckygunner partially liable. The jury’s deliberations commenced on Friday afternoon and concluded with their decision on Monday.
The tragic events of May 18, 2018
On May 18, 2018, then-17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis opened fire at Santa Fe High School near Houston, resulting in the deaths of eight students and two teachers. Thirteen others were wounded during the attack. Pagourtzis, now 23, was charged with capital murder but has been in custody at a state hospital since November 2019 after being deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Civil lawsuit for accountability
In the interim, relatives of the deceased and injured filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Pagourtzis’ parents and Pagourtzis himself, seeking accountability while the criminal case remains on hold. Plaintiffs’ attorney Clint McGuire emphasized during closing arguments that the parents should bear some responsibility. “It was their son under their roof with their guns who went and committed this mass shooting,” McGuire reminded the jury.
To underscore his point, McGuire presented the jury with the T-shirt Pagourtzis wore during the massacre, which read: “Born to Kill.” He also recited chilling excerpts from Pagourtzis’ journal, including: “What I do will both have an immeasurable impact and be incredibly minuscule. I will have destroyed bloodlines spanning thousands of years.”
Defense arguments
Dimitrios Pagourtzis’ attorney, Roberto Torres, argued that while his client committed a monstrous act, he was not a monster. Describing Pagourtzis as “severely mentally disturbed,” Torres said his client was enduring the “mother of all psychotic hurricanes” at the time of the shooting. “Let’s blame the sick guy,” Torres stated.
Attorney Lori Laird, representing Pagourtzis’ parents, maintained that neither parent had any indication their son was planning such a heinous act. “The two didn’t pull the trigger,” she told the jury, “their teenage son did.”
Earlier this year, the parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for buying their son the gun he used to kill four students at Oxford High School in November 2021. They were sentenced to a minimum of 10 years for ignoring red flags about his mental health.
Plea for accountability
McGuire appealed to the jury for accountability, stating their decision would resonate with schoolchildren across the nation. He argued that Pagourtzis’ parents could not have been oblivious to their son’s deteriorating mental health, citing his poor hygiene, failing grades, and school absenteeism. “Dimitrios did this because he was filled with rage,” McGuire said. “He wrote about hating how he was treated, how he was treated by the opposite sex. He was angry.”
Expert testimony
The final witness before jury deliberations was a psychiatrist specializing in childhood disorders, who interviewed Pagourtzis in 2019. The psychiatrist testified that Pagourtzis suffered from severe psychosis and believed his mind was being controlled by the CIA. Pagourtzis did not disclose his delusions, which included a demigod named Natasha, fearing disbelief.
Defense lawyer Alton Todd concluded his argument by questioning the parents’ awareness: “Who was in the best position to make sure this didn’t happen? Who should have known Dimitrios best? His parents. If you don’t look, you won’t see.”
The jury’s decision has left many grappling with questions of responsibility and the complexities of mental health in the context of violent crimes.