Naman Shrestha
An early morning in the spring of 1994 turned deadly for the Shrout family as they were found dead in their residence in Florence, Kentucky. The horrific murders shook the entire community as the detectives linked the crime to an unlikely individual, who took the murder weapon to the school a few hours after committing the gruesome killings. In the episode titled ‘Terror in Trigonometry’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Shattered,’ the case and its intricate details are explored with the help of insightful and emotional interviews with the victims’ loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Walter and Becky Shrout Were Killed Along With Their Daughters in Their Florence House
Rebecca “Becky” Johnson Shrout was brought into the world by Wickliffe Wayne Johnson and Carolyn Green Johnson on January 17, 1950, in Shelby County, Kentucky. She was supposedly brought up in a loving household alongside her brother, Christopher Wayne Johnson. While attending Georgetown College, she crossed paths with the love of her life, Walter Harvey Shrout. Born on October 25, 1950, in Montgomery County, Kentucky, to James Nicholas Shrout and Roberta Mae Roberts Shrout, Walter fell head over heels in love with Becky. The college sweethearts made their relationship official in the eyes of the law by tying the knot in 1973.
Over the course of their loving marriage, Walter and Becky welcomed three children — a son named Clay and two daughters, Kristen Elizabeth Shrout and Lauren Rebecca Shrout. The family of five resided in a two-story house on Tiburon Drive in Florence, Kentucky. The Shrouts also owned two horses and multiple other pets, including Cleo the black Labrador, Lady the poodle, and a gerbil. It was on May 23, 1994, when Walter, Becky, and Lauren were last seen alive as they attended a school concert where Lauren played the xylophone. A few days later, the picture-perfect life of the Shrout family came to a sudden halt on the morning of May 26. When the authorities arrived at the Florence house, they found 43-year-old Walter, 44-year-old Becky, 14-year-old Kristen, and 12-year-old Lauren dead on or near their respective beds. The cause of their deaths was multiple gunshot wounds.
The Killer Also Held His Classmates Hostage After Killing the Shrouts
On the same morning, Clay Shrout went to school and attended his trigonometry class, while the rest of his family lay dead in the house. He reportedly walked into the classroom with Danielle Butsch, who was his prom date a few weeks earlier, and told the teacher that someone had a gun in their possession. He later revealed that he was the one armed with a .380 caliber pistol, which he pulled out, and held the classroom of 22 students hostage for about half an hour. He told the teacher, “I’ve had a bad day today,” and proceeded to confess that he had killed his whole family.
Soon, the assistant principal, after notifying the police about the hostage situation, arrived at the classroom and convinced him to hand over the gun. When the authorities arrived, Clay was arrested and put under suicide watch. About a week earlier, he had brought a stun gun and bullets to school, for which the school officials punished him with 50 hours of community service. At home, his parents confiscated all the weapons he possessed, including a sword, knives, nunchucks, and a BB gun. They took away the keys to his truck and forbade him from driving. According to court testimony, his parents reportedly restricted his access to weapons, driving, phone use, and even limited the type of music he listened to.
During the police interrogation after his arrest, Clay gave a detailed account of what transpired on the fateful morning. According to him, he woke up at 5 am, took out a .380 caliber pistol, and went into his parents’ bedroom, where he shot his mother and father in their sleep. When the noise of the gunshots woke Kristen and Lauren up, he went to their room and shot them too. He claimed that he shot his father a second time when he saw him crawling to the door of his bedroom. The 17-year-old shooter told the police that he was angry at his parents for confiscating his weapons. He provided them with two reasons why he killed his sisters, too. He stated, “The first one was I didn’t want them to have to live without their parents. And also my older sister, she had enough intelligence to pick up the phone and call the police.” He was eventually charged with the murders of his parents and sisters.
Clay Shrout is Currently Incarcerated at a Kentucky Prison Facility
In September 1994, Clay Shrout pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. As per the plea deal, he not only avoided the charges related to the hostage situation at the school, but he also avoided the death penalty. In exchange, he agreed to undergo mental health treatment. Ultimately, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years for killing his family members. During his parole hearing in March 2019, Clay alleged that he had been abused by his mother as a child. These claims have not been substantiated and were made only in his testimony to the parole board.
Clay also explained how he had been in a constant struggle with mental health issues from his early days. However, his parole was denied by the board, which instructed him to take mental health and anger management counseling sessions before he became eligible for parole again. As of today, Clay Shrout is serving his sentence at Green River Correctional Complex in Central City, Kentucky, with his parole eligibility scheduled for May 2029.
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