Two Lake Brantley High students were arrested Jan. 23; prosecutors moved this week to charge them as adults.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — A newly unredacted police report says a 15-year-old at Lake Brantley High School nursed a months-long obsession with the Sandy Hook school shooter and targeted a classmate she believed resembled him, leading to an alleged murder plot that ended with two arrests on Jan. 23.
Prosecutors in Seminole County said this week the teens will be charged as adults, escalating a case that began with an anonymous tip and a campus search. Investigators say the plan centered on a specific victim at the Altamonte Springs school and was motivated by the older student’s fixation with a mass shooter from the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary massacre. The case raises immediate questions about school safety, threat reporting and how quickly juvenile cases can move into adult court when they involve planned violence.
According to the report, the investigation started after an online FortifyFL tip arrived around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 warning that a student using the name “Jimmy” intended to kill another student. Police identified “Jimmy” as Isabelle Aurelia Valdez, 15, and detained her and her best friend, 14-year-old Lois Olivios Lippert, at Lake Brantley High the next day. The report describes months of messages and journal entries in which Valdez allegedly compared the intended victim to the Sandy Hook gunman and wrote about carrying out an attack. Officers searched school grounds and interviewed students and staff. “This was a targeted plan,” the report states, noting the victim’s name was listed in the materials investigators collected.
Authorities say Valdez faces attempted premeditated murder and possession of a weapon on school property. Lippert is accused of acting as an accessory. The report says the plan involved luring the victim and using a knife; police say they recovered writings and digital communications that outlined steps and timing. Officials have not said how the teen acquired the weapon or whether anyone else knew of the plan before the tip. The victim, whose name is not being used by the station because of age, was not physically harmed. School administrators notified families after the arrests, and Altamonte Springs police said the campus remained open with additional security.
Records indicate the obsession formed over several months, with the 15-year-old repeatedly referencing the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Conn., and expressing romanticized views of the gunman. Investigators wrote that the suspect believed the classmate looked like the shooter and fixated on that resemblance. The report notes gaps: officials have not detailed any prior disciplinary record for either teen, and it is unknown whether previous concerns were reported to counselors. Past Florida cases that moved juveniles into adult court often cited planning, use of weapons and severity of the threat; prosecutors said those factors guided this decision.
In court filings and initial hearings this week, the State Attorney’s Office said both teens will be prosecuted as adults. Public defenders were not immediately listed for either defendant in online dockets Tuesday and Wednesday. A first appearance was set following their transfer from juvenile custody, and further hearings are expected later this month. School district officials said they are cooperating with police and referred questions to law enforcement. Florida’s FortifyFL portal remains a main reporting tool for threats; police credited the late-night tip for allowing them to intervene before anyone was hurt.
Parents gathered outside the school the day after the arrests described a mix of relief and unease. “You’re grateful the system worked, but it’s terrifying,” said one father picking up his sophomore. A neighbor who lives near the campus recalled extra patrol cars and said officers were calm but visible during dismissal. Students said administrators made brief classroom announcements and teachers kept lessons going while officers spoke with selected students. A shop owner across the street said the after-school rush looked normal, though more families arrived early.
As of Thursday morning, both teens remained in custody on adult charges while prosecutors prepare formal filings. The next significant update is expected at a scheduled court session in Seminole County; officials have not announced a trial timeline.
Author note: Last updated February 5, 2026.