Brenda Spencer was a sixteen year old living in California when she would murder two people during a school shooting
According to court documents Brenda Spencer father would give her a rifle for her birthday. The sixteen year old who lived across the street from Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego California would open fire killing the principal and custodian as well as injuring eight students and a police officer
Brenda Spencer would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to twenty five years to life. As of 2025 Spencer has been repeatedly denied parole
When a reporter asked her why she would shoot up Grover Cleveland Elementary School Brenda replied “I Hate Mondays”
Brenda Spencer Current Information
Name
SPENCER, BRENDA
CDCR Number
W14944
Age
63
Current Location
California Institution for Women
Admission Date
Apr 24 1980
Commitment County
San Diego
Brenda Spencer Case
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today the woman who opened fire on
a San Diego elementary school as a teen in 1979, killing two people and injuring nine others, has
been denied parole following the strong objection of prosecutors. The decision to deny release
for Brenda Spencer, 62, came after a Board of Parole hearing which included three victim
statements and input from the District Attorney’s Office. During its deliberation, the Board
considered Elder and Youthful Parole Laws when reaching its decision.
“The shock of this brazen crime rippled through the community in San Diego at the time and it
continues to hold a place of infamy in the history of mass shootings in our nation,” said DA
Stephan. “While new laws are in place that can potentially speed up releases for individuals who
were convicted as minors, as well as inmates who are over 50 years old, our position is that the
totality of the horrific circumstances of this crime and this case do not warrant release and we are
gratified that the Parole Board agreed with our position.”
On the morning of Monday, January 29, 1979, Spencer began shooting from her house at
children waiting for 53-year-old Principal Burton Wragg to open the gates to Grover Cleveland
Elementary School. She injured eight children. She began with nine-year-old Cam Miller, since
he was wearing Spencer’s favorite color, blue. Spencer shot and killed Wragg as he and teacher
Daryl Barnes tried to help children. She also killed 56-year-old custodian Mike Suchar as he
tried to pull a student to safety. A 28-year-old police officer, Robert Robb, had responded to a
call for assistance during the incident, where he was wounded in the neck as he arrived.
After firing thirty-six times, Spencer barricaded herself inside her home for several hours. While
there, she spoke by telephone to a reporter. Spencer told the reporter she had shot at the school
children and adults because, “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”
Brenda Spencer was charged as an adult. She pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and
assault with a deadly weapon. On April 4, 1980, a day after her 18th birthday, she was sentenced
to concurrent terms of 25 years-to-life in prison. Under the terms of her sentencing, Spencer
became eligible for hearings to consider her suitability for parole in 1993.
Brenda Spencer has been denied parole in 1993, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2022. She is currently imprisoned
at California Institution for Women in Chino. Spencer is often regarded as the first modern high
profile school shooter. She is eligible for parole again in 2028.
The DA’s Lifer Unit is responsible for handling parole hearings for inmates serving life
sentences in California state prisons. The unit’s main role is to represent the interests of victims,
their families, and public safety by advocating against the release of dangerous offenders when
appropriate.
75bec742-da77-491d-af19-b1fbcef5c946_Brenda Spenser Denied Parole News Release 2-21-25.pdf
Brenda Spencer News
Brenda Spencer kills two men and wounds nine children as they enter the Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. Spencer blazed away with rifle shots from her home directly across the street from the school. After 20 minutes of shooting, police surrounded Spencer’s home for six hours before she surrendered. Asked for some explanation for the attack, Spencer allegedly said, “I just don’t like Mondays. I did this because it’s a way to cheer up the day. Nobody likes Mondays.”
Spencer was only 16 years old at the time of her murderous attack. She was a problem child who was widely known as a drug abuser with a violent streak. She repeatedly broke the windows at the Cleveland school with her BB gun. Still, her father gave her a .22 semi-automatic rifle and ammunition as a Christmas gift at the end of 1978.
This seemed to inspire Spencer into more grandiose plans, and she started telling her classmates that she was going to do something “to get on TV.” When Monday morning rolled around, Burton Wragg, the principal of Cleveland Elementary, was opening the gates of the school when Spencer started firing her rifle from across the street. Wragg and custodian Michael Suchar were killed. “I just started shooting. That’s it. I just did it for the fun of it,” explained Spencer.
Spencer’s hatred for the first day of the school week was later memorialized by Bob Geldof, the leader of the rock group The Boomtown Rats, in the song, “I Don’t Like Mondays.”
