A British teenager who murdered three family members and plotted a mass school shooting in an attempt to become “the world’s most famous school shooter of the 21st century” has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 49 years.
Nicholas Prosper, who was 18 at the time of the killings, used a shotgun to murder his mother, Juliana Falcon, 48, and his younger siblings, Giselle, 13, and Kyle, 16, at their home in Luton in September 2024. Kyle also suffered over 100 knife wounds.
During sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told the now 19-year-old: “Your ambition was notoriety. You wanted to be known posthumously as the world’s most famous school shooter of the 21st century.”
Prosper had meticulously planned an attack on St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, where he intended to kill dozens of young pupils and teachers before turning the gun on himself. He aimed to surpass the US Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech massacres but was interrupted when his mother woke up before he could kill his family in their sleep. A struggle ensued, alerting neighbours who called the police.
After killing his mother, Prosper placed a book titled How to Kill Your Family on her body.
“You explicitly sought to emulate and outdo Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old American who shot dead 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012,” the judge said. “You aimed for 34 deaths, one more than the deadliest school shooting of recent times in the United States of America, at Virginia Tech in 2007.”
Prosper had drawn classroom diagrams of the school and scrawled “kill all” beside them. He also recorded himself acting out the planned massacre in his kitchen.
Psychologists noted that Prosper displayed symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but the court ruled that this did not excuse his crimes.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 49 years. Taking into account time already served, he must spend at least 48 years and 177 days behind bars before being considered for release.
Prosper had refused to leave his cell for sentencing, delaying the hearing. The judge noted he had shown no remorse for his actions.
The court heard that after being expelled from school in 2023, Prosper became isolated and immersed himself in an online world, obsessing over infamous murderers, mass shooters, and rapists.
His father, Ray Prosper, said in a statement: “When I heard the horrendous news that day, part of my soul died too. This is a lose-lose situation for us all and we have lost four family members.”
Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy of Bedfordshire Police condemned Prosper’s crimes, stating the force was “utterly shocked and appalled by the sickening actions of this individual.”
