A Loudoun County jury convicted a transgender former substitute teacher of threatening a “murder spree” and cannibalism against students at two Virginia schools, even as his lawyer called the case a blown-up teenage breakup.
Story Snapshot
- A jury found former substitute teacher Dollery guilty on four of five charges after a four-day trial.
- Prosecutors said Dollery sent threatening Discord messages under the name “Cotton Candy” to an ex-boyfriend at 1:49 a.m.
- The alleged threats named John Champe High School and Eagle Ridge Middle School, prompting extra security.
- The defense argued the messages were an emotional outburst after a first breakup, not a real plan to hurt anyone.
Jury Convicts Former Substitute on Threat Charges
A Loudoun County jury convicted Dollery on four of five criminal counts after a trial that began October 5, 2026. The convictions included three charges of making written threats to injure or kill, plus one charge of threatening a school. Jurors acquitted him on a fifth charge involving a threat to damage a building. He now faces up to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors said the case began with an online message sent the morning after a breakup. They told jurors Dollery used the Discord account name “Cotton Candy” to send a threatening message to his ex-boyfriend at about 1:49 a.m. on April 15, 2026. The message allegedly named both families and described plans that went far beyond an angry text after a fight.
What Prosecutors Say the Messages Said
Court reporting described the alleged message as referencing a “murder spree” at the ex-boyfriend’s school and a “kill list.” Trial coverage also said the message included a claim about eating a victim after killing them. Prosecutors argued these were not vague venting but specific threats tied to real people, real buildings, and a real timeline.
The threats named two schools directly: John Champe High School and Eagle Ridge Middle School. Officials at both schools decided the warnings were credible enough to add extra security after learning about them. The case first came to light through tips sent to Loudoun County’s Safe2Talk reporting tool, which triggered a sheriff’s office investigation led by Deputy Chris Freck.
Defense Calls It a Breakup, Not a Plot
Defense attorney Mary Swanson told jurors this was a “teenage love triangle” blown out of proportion, not a real threat. She said Dollery was going through his first breakup and was “hurt… and desperate for attention,” not someone planning violence. She also argued prosecutors took his messages out of context.
Swanson said Dollery had no history of violence and had never been in trouble before this case. At an earlier hearing, his public defender argued the online talk concerned buildings, not people, and described past thoughts rather than any future plan to act. The jury’s single acquittal suggests they did not accept every part of the state’s case.
A Pattern of Schools Acting on Uncertain Threats
This case fits a larger pattern playing out in schools nationwide. Investigators and school leaders must often respond to online threats before they can be sure how serious they are. One tracking effort found more than 150 schools across 25 states hit by false threat reports in a single wave during 2023, showing how often schools face scares without any actual attack following.
Courts have also wrestled with where online threats cross into criminal territory. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that prosecutors must show a speaker at least recklessly disregarded the threatening nature of their words for a true-threat conviction to hold. That standard shapes how cases like this one get charged and argued in court, balancing public safety against free speech protections.
Full court records, including the original Discord messages, forensic authentication, and trial transcripts, are not yet public. Those documents would show exactly how each message connects to each guilty verdict. Until they surface, the public is left relying on lawyers’ summaries and reporters’ accounts of what jurors heard inside the courtroom this month.
Sources:
thegatewaypundit.com, wjla.com, newsbreak.com, revolver.news, patch.com
