Oakland Teen`s Plans Unclear

The father of Matthew Lovett says he saw a letter from his son indicting Matthew had considered killing his family after the start of a planned shooting spree in Oaklyn, N.J.

However, Lovett's father, Ron, and the lawyer for the New Jersey teenager accused of planning the attack said Matthew Lovett didn't intend to hurt anyone.

Matthew Lovett and two other teens, one 15 and one 14, face charges of conspiracy to commit murder in Oaklyn, N.J.

Police said the three were apprehended Sunday with loaded guns, knives and 2,000 rounds of ammunition after an alleged carjacking attempt.

Oaklyn police said that Lovett left a letter indicating his plans to kill his own family, but the letter indicted that Matthew also thought the idea was "too messy."

Ron Lovett, Matthew's after, also told the Today show's Matt Lauer on Tuesday that he saw the letter at the Oaklyn police station on Sunday.

"I was in shock," Ron Lovett said. "I said to myself, 'My son may have snapped somehow. This was not him.'"

Craig Mitnick, an attorney for Matthew Lovett, says Matthew told him that he "never, ever was going hurt anyone."

"The three teens did not understand the implications of their actions," Mitnick said. "It was a fantasy land that could have gone very, very bad. Thank God it didn't."

Ron Lovett also said that his son didn't plan to commit crimes.

"I don't think he was really trying to carry out what he is charged with. He calls himself a 12 year old in an 18-year-old body," Ron Lovett said. "My son doesn't know how to drive and he never fired a gun. He wouldn't know what bullets to put in what chamber."

Schoolmates said Lovett kept a list of enemies going back to grade school. They also said Lovett and his younger brother endured a lot of taunting.

"He's spent a lot of years protecting his younger brother because he has facial defects," Ron Lovett said. "When they used to go out, they were sometimes verbally and physically abused by other kids."

Ron Lovett also dismissed some statements by local residents that Matthew Lovett walked around carrying a baseball bat in public.

Mitnick said Lovett lost his mother nine years ago and that's when he became a recluse. He lived with his brother and father.

Jim Lovett, Matthew's brother, said some of the weapons confiscated from the trio belong to Lovett's father.

"He kept them locked in a big case in the back of the closet," said Jim.

Jim told NBC 10 that his brother would spend hours writing in a journal or on his computer.

"He would spend time by himself in his apartment bedroom. He was really distant the last couple of months. He became a whole other person. He just changed all of a sudden," Jim said.

Prosecutors will seek an involuntary waiver for two of the suspects so they can be tried as adults. A judge will consider the request sometime in July.

FeedRoom Teens Accused Of Murder Plot

At a press conference Monday, police said that each of the suspects carried a 30-30 high-power rifle and a shotgun strapped to their backs and had handguns in their waistbands. All of the weapons were loaded, investigators said. Police found more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition, and they believed the three teens were planning the attack for several months.

Lovett, of Oaklyn, was the only suspect named publicly. Lovett is a graduate of Collingswood High School. He is in jail in lieu of $1 million bail. The two juveniles are Oaklyn Middle School students whose names weren't released. They are being held in a juvenile detention home.

All three teens face weapons offenses and attempted carjacking charges. Lovett also faces a charge of aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at a police officer.

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