SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A 15-year-old girl accused of plotting to lure and stab a classmate inside a bathroom at Lake Brantley High School is now pleading for sympathy from the court in a handwritten letter to a judge.
Investigators say Isabelle Valdez and co-defendant Lois Lippert were preparing to carry out the attack before deputies rushed to the school and arrested the teens.
The letter, received Tuesday and filed in court Thursday, paints a much different picture from the one authorities say was captured immediately after Valdez’s arrest.
In the letter dated May 13, Valdez tells the judge she is remorseful and says months spent behind bars — isolated from people and the internet — have changed her outlook on life.
“When I was detained I started acting recklessly and edgy,” Valdez wrote. “I made everything sound worse than it was because I wanted help. I wanted to paint myself as more insane.”
The statement stands in sharp contrast to video recorded in the back of a patrol vehicle shortly after her arrest, where Valdez appeared to joke about her mugshot.
“I was going to do my makeup for the mugshot this morning but couldn’t find anything,” she said in the recording.
Now, Valdez claims her behavior that night was actually a “cry for help.”
Despite expressing remorse, Valdez and Lippert have both entered not guilty pleas in the case. Investigators allege the teens planned to lure a fellow student into a school bathroom and stab him to death.
In her letter, Valdez also asks the judge for sympathy, blaming early exposure to the internet for turning her into what she described as “a horrible person.” She also referenced struggles with mental health during childhood.
Legal analyst Bill Sheaffer says the court is likely to closely examine whether Valdez’s claims are supported by psychological evidence.
“The court is going to have to have a little more evidence than this letter, especially in light of the conduct in the back of the patrol car,” Sheaffer said.
He added that a psychological evaluation could play a major role in future proceedings.
“If it proves the contents of this letter, then it should go a long way with the sentencing,” Sheaffer explained. “If it does not, then what occurred in the back of that patrol car may outweigh this letter.”
So far, no request for a psychological evaluation has been filed with the court. The case is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing next Wednesday.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.