Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE — As his victims sat quietly in court this afternoon, Michael Yates turned to them and apologized for nearly killing 17-year-old Mallory Haulman.

"I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry," Yates, 14, told Mallory and her younger sister, who watched in horror Nov. 11, 2008, as the older girl collapsed, bleeding in the halls of Montrose High School.

Yates had approached the MHS junior from behind and slashed her throat before walking away.

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He was apprehended quickly thereafter, and another youth was also arrested. Assistant District Attorney Jerry Montgomery said at his sentencing hearing this afternoon, that the scars he inflicted will last a lifetime for both the Haulmans and the Montrose community.

Montgomery characterized Yates as a calculating coward whose claim that he'd heard "voices" telling him to attack Mallory — a stranger — was simply a convenient excuse for acting out "evil thoughts" inspired by the Insane Clown Posse, white supremacist groups and gangs Yates admired.

"We as a family feel you are getting better than what you deserve," the Haulmans said in a letter read by a victim's advocate. The letter told of Yates' malicious intent, but also said he had a chance to turn his life around.

"If you are able to complete your sentence, you can put it behind you. Mallory, however, will always have the scar she bears on her neck, from ear-to-ear," the Haulmans said.

Yates pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder. Under plea agreement, his 18-year prison sentence is suspended if he successfully completes a seven-year stint in the Department of Corrections Youthful Offender Services program.

For the full story, see tomorrow's Daily Press.

Comments

Rebecca wrote on May 23, 2009 5:52 PM:

" It is easy to blame the parents, but at a certain age kids should know right from wrong. This kid got off pretty easy. He should do some actual prison time.This towns legal system is a big joke, so it is not surprising they were lenient on this criminal.It is just so unfair to the victim and her family that this kid got off with basically just a slap on the wrist. The legal system in this town needs some SERIOUS work, the system is way too LAZY, criminals get off way too easily, I know from personal experience. "




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knew wrote on May 22, 2009 3:10 PM:

" wow!!! not all parents have the ability to drop their kids off everyday....NO PARENT KNOWS WHAT A KID IS THINKING ALL THE TIME.Have you totally forgot what it was like to be a kid??? Being involved helps but it doesn't create utopia! "




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Granny wrote on May 21, 2009 8:08 PM:

" Where were MOM & DAD in all this? Don't we have real parents that watch what their kids are doing, thinking? I drove my good kids to school every morning and picked them up every night. I KNEW what they were doing and I KNEW what they we thinking about doing. The kid is responsible for what he did, but the absent parent is to blame. "




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FMR MTJ wrote on May 21, 2009 6:50 PM:

" This is an unfortunate story... "




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