California teen takes blame for deadly shooting

SAN DIEGO -- In a jailhouse interview, a teenager serving 50 years for a deadly high school shooting spree said he takes full responsibility for the rampage.

"I blame myself," Charles "Andy" Williams, 16, told the San Diego Union-Tribune in an interview published Sunday. "The school didn't put the gun in my hand. I don't want to blame anybody."

Williams pleaded guilty in June to the March 2001 shooting rampage at Santana High School that killed 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor and 17-year-old Randy Gordon, and wounded 13 others. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday, and will be eligible for parole in 2051, when he's 65.

The youngster said it was difficult to sit through the sentencing hearing, listening to speeches from more than a dozen victims and relatives of victims.

"I'm glad they said what they wanted to say and get it off their chests," he said.

Though he did not want to answer questions about the shooting, documents released earlier in the week painted a picture of a depressed, alienated boy who was bullied and taunted by friends. Prosecutors, however, said Williams coolly planned the assault, shooting classmates as they ran in terror.

Williams said his life at Juvenile Hall has generally been good, and that he has read 159 books and carries a 3.09 grade-point average. In court papers, Williams said he hopes to get a college degree in theology and become a pastor in prison.

He also said he worried about turning 18 and transferring to a maximum security prison. "I'm scared because I don't know anyone up there, and I don't know what to expect," he said.

Williams said he's surprised so many people have written him letters and posted messages of support on the Internet.

"They're nice people. I'm glad they're doing it," he said. "But I don't think I deserve it. I wouldn't write to me."