Sammie Eaglebear Chavez, 19, was found guilty of plotting a mass shooting and bomb attack at his Oklahoma high school on Tuesday.
Authorities said teenager attempted to recruit classmates in his plan for a killing spree of fellow students, teachers and police officers. According to the Associated Press, Chavez was convicted of planning to cause bodily harm with a recommended sentence of 30 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Jurors found Chavez not guilty of conspiring to perform an act of violence. Jessie Chavez, the teen's mother, was in the courtroom waiting to hear her son's verdict, KJRH TV reports.
"No, this is not what I expected," Chavez's mother told KJRH TV. "This is a lot better than what I expected and I'm so happy."
The 19-year-old was arrested and taken into custody on Dec. 14, 2012, hours before the Newtown, Conn. Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The alleged gunman responsible for Sandy Hook shooting killed 20 children and six adults before committing suicide.
Chavez claimed he was "joking" and never intended to carry out the mass shooting or bomb attack on the school.
"It was a joke in the sense that it wasn't meant seriously," Chavez told jurors, the Tulsa World newspaper reported.
"Chavez testified that he had no intention to shoot or bomb the school, but admitted he was 'angry at the world,' and that writing the notes was a way for him 'to release feelings of anger,'" AP reports
Prosecutors said Chavez planned to "lure" students into the school's auditorium where he would lock them in and shoot his peers. Once officers arrived to the scene, Chavez planned on detonating bombs at the auditorium doors when authorities approached the room.
Police and prosecutors said Chavez intended to lure students into the school's auditorium, chain the doors shut and shoot the students. Chavez also planned to place bombs by the auditorium doors and detonate them as police officers approached, according to an affidavit.
Chavez is due back in court for his sentencing in November.
"Deep down, I don't think my son would have done this," Jessie told reporters after the sentencing. "That's not my son. My son laughs and makes jokes. He's always pulling pranks."
