오클라호마 주 에드먼드의 한 고등학교 학생들을 살해하려던 10대 범죄 용의자에게 용서의 편지를 보낸 한 미국 아버지의 사연이 잔잔한 감동을 주고 있다.

19일 ABC 방송 등에 따르면, 미국 오클라호마 주 에드먼드 경찰은 지난 13일 에드먼드 노스 고등학교(Edmond North High School)에 폭발물을 설치해 많은 학생을 살해하려던 혐의로 한 16세 청소년을 검거했다.

Like Us on Facebook

경찰은 용의자가 몇몇 학생들에게 보낸 휴대전화 문자 메시지를 추적한 뒤 용의자의 집을 덮쳐 범행에 사용될 폭발물 등을 발견, 범죄를 사전에 막았다.
 
이 학교 1학년에 재학 중인 아들을 둔 찰스 마틴은 '내 아들을 죽이려던 10대 청년(To The Teen Who Planned To Kill My Son)'라는 제목의 장문의 편지를  용의자에게 띄웠다.

작가이면서 작은 출판사를 운영하는 마틴은 "그가 하려던 일은 악마적인 것이었지만, 그 또한 인간"이라면서 "그가 자신 안에 있는 정상적인 모습을 되찾고 더 나은 것을 발견하기를 마음에서 편지를 썼다"고 했다.

마틴은 편지에서 먼저 같은 학교에 다니고 있는 자신의 아들에 대해 이야기한 후 문자 메시지를 친구들에게 보내 수사 기관이 계획을 미리 알 수 있도록 한 용의자에게 고마움을 건넸다.

또 용의자가 범행을 준비하던 때가 한파로 추운 겨울이었던 점을 떠올리며 겨울에 기분이 우울해지는 것은 누구나 마찬가지라면서 '당신이 나쁜 사람일 수도 있으나 아마도 힘든 고교 시절로 화가 나거나 절망적인 상태가 아니었나 생각한다'며 자신의 고교 시절 경험을 이야기하기도 했다.

그는 자신 또한 고교 시절 화나고 절망적이었지만, 대학 졸업 후 행복을 찾았다면서 용의자에게 지금은 불가능하게 보일 테지만 당신도 분명히 기회를 잡을 수 있다고 말했다.

그러면서 '앞으로 당신 앞에 펼쳐진 길이 험난하겠지만, 살인자가 되지 않았다는 점을 명심하라'며 '친구들에게 수상한 메시지를 보낸 행동이야말로 도움을 받아 여러 사람을 살리기 위한 용기 있는 결정'이었다고 글을 맺었다.

마틴이 지난 17일 자신의 출판사(Literati Press) 홈페이지에 올린 이 편지는 12시간 만에 조회수 2만 건을 기록할 정도로 큰 관심을 끌었다. 이후 홈페이지가 해커에 의해 다운이 된 후에 소셜네트워크서비스(SNS)인 페이스북에 올렸고 많은 이들이 이 사연을 공유했다.

한편, 범죄 용의자는 현재 정신 치료 시설에서 치료 중으로 곧 기소될 예정이다.

아래는 찰스 마틴의 글이다.

"We found out Friday that you were planning on killing students at Edmond North. The details of your scheme are still not that clear, at least what's been made public, but it seems you were hoping for a high body count. My son is a freshman at Edmond North. He doesn't enjoy school either, but he is a bright young man with a beautiful smile and one of the sharpest comedic instincts I've ever seen. He tends to insulate himself from the world with his headphones and is obsessed with hip hop. I doubt you know each other since you are sixteen, so presumably a sophomore or maybe a junior. Odds are that you've never even crossed paths with my son. Perhaps he would have been safe had you carried out your plan.

But perhaps not.

It was the winter that made it so hard, wasn't it? That's when you sent the texts to your friends that led them to notify the authorities. It was those damn snow days. The winter always brings me down too, so it's not just you. We all get tremendously sad sometimes.

We spent those snow days playing board games and sledding down the hills of our neighborhood. You spent your time researching bombs, even starting to assemble one. I wonder what you used. You might have even been at the same hardware store when we got our sled. I wonder if you went sledding too. Maybe we saw you. Maybe I would know you by sight, but probably not.

I have no idea what you are thinking right now. You are being held in a treatment facility, which I think is wise. Charges will be filed, but I am not sure that jail is the right place for you. I want to believe that you texted your friends because you wanted to be caught. You wanted to be stopped. Your friends are heroes. Maybe you felt yourself getting out of control and tipped your hand in hopes someone would stop you, which also makes you a bit of a hero. Maybe. I can't say for sure since we've never spoken nor do I know anything of you aside from what can be found online. Maybe you are a bad person, but it seems you are just angry and desperate. That is understandable. High school is a tough place. It often made me angry and desperate too.

But then it ended and I went to college. Life got better in small measures until I finally reached a place in my life where I became happy and fulfilled. As impossible as it may seem now, you have a chance at that too. As does my son and all the other teenagers who are still alive because you were caught.

Listen to the therapists at the treatment facility. Whatever comes of this situation, please hold onto the hope that you could one day put the darkness behind you. Perhaps, years into the future, you will reach out to a teenager that feels the way you once did and you can help him avoid making horrible decisions with his life. Nothing is guaranteed to make us feel better, but helping other people comes pretty damn close.

Your path forward is going to be complicated and hard, but remember that you are not a killer. You were on a path to become a killer, but your own actions led to my son being alive today. Again, I have no idea if he would have even been in the same part of the building where you executed your plan. Edmond North is a massive complex. But he could have been. The point is irrelevant because you did not have a chance to kill him.

Instead of mourning, my son, his brother, and I are going to have a long, happy spring break. We are going to go climbing, play frisbee, go on a road trip, play board games and video games, discuss music production, and laugh about all the stupid things we always say to each other. He is a wonderful kid. I don't know you, but I am certain that there is a part of you that is wonderful too. Not executing your plan allows me the freedom to wish the best for you. Had you killed someone, this letter would be much different. I may never meet you, but if I do, I hope that I am strong enough to thank you.

And if I meet your friends, I will be tempted to hug them, but probably won't because that would make them uncomfortable just as hugging made me uncomfortable when I was a teenager.

I will spend a lot of time discussing this with my boys just as I am sure there mother has. I need to find Rudderless, a movie made in Oklahoma about a school shooting. It is a powerful film, but my boys haven't seen it yet. We will then discuss the film. Maybe you should watch it too. It will help you imagine what the lives of your family would be like if you had successfully carried out the attack. Maybe not. Talk to your counselors. Trust them. They know more than I do.

But finally and most importantly, thank you. You reached out to your friends and they made the brave decision to ask for help. A tragedy was averted and, I hope, your life will now start the long journey of getting back to better."