Alex Hribal Case

Alex Hribal pled guilty on 21 accounts of attempted homicide.

On April 9, 2014, Hribal stabbed 20 students and a security guard at Franklin Regional High School. The now 20 year old faced his victims in court on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018.

Hribal, who was 16 at the time of the stabbing, was tried as an adult.

An observer of the trial, Autumn Tinta, said, “I think the crime was sever enough to be charged as an adult. I think he was old enough to know what he was doing.”

Hribal’s defense argued that his actions were a result of bullying. Judge Christopher Feliciani, Westmoreland County’s Common Pleas Court Judge, rejected this argument.

“I don’t think that there was enough physical evidence to grant his request. I think maybe if someone had stepped up and said, ‘I have witnessed the stuff going on.’” Tinta said.

Kaitlyn Shaw, a student at Pitt Greensburg and witness to the 2014 stabbing, stated “All the information that needed relayed has been well relayed to [the public].”

Four of the 20 students assaulted in 2014 sustained life-threatening injuries, but all survived.

Judge Feliciani sentenced Hribal to a minimum of 23½ years. The maximum sentence is 60 years and Hribal was ordered to pay over $269,000 in restitution.

“I think it was appropriate seeing the damage that he did,” Tinta said after hearing the testimonies.

Judge Feliciani declined to comment.

The judge instructed that Hribal get mental health treatment while serving his sentence.

Tinta recollected the most memorable moment of the trial, “He had never spoken at any of his other court appearances, so to hear from him was impactful.”

Hribal has since filed an appeal.