Overview of Teen Girls Can’t Stop Laughing in Cop Car, Excited About Mugshots After Attempted Murder Arrest
Stephanie Soo covers a disturbing case involving two Florida teens, Isabel Valdez and Lois Lippert, who were arrested after allegedly planning to murder a classmate at Lake Brantley High School as part of a bizarre fantasy tied to resurrecting Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza through a “blood oath.” The episode focuses on their arrest, their eerie behavior in the back of the police car, and the online subcultures that glorify school shooters and mass killers.
What the Case Is About
The alleged murder plot
- Isabel, 15, and Lois, 14, allegedly planned to kill a male classmate, referred to as John.
- According to police reports, Isabel had been stalking John for months and chose him because she believed he looked like Adam Lanza.
- The plan was to lure or drag John into a school bathroom after second period and kill him with a knife.
- Isabel allegedly believed killing John and performing a “blood ritual” would somehow bring Adam Lanza back to her.
Why the victim was targeted
- John apparently had no conflict with Isabel.
- He was selected almost entirely because Isabel was obsessed with him as a stand-in for Adam Lanza.
- Police found that Isabel had taken 200+ photos of John over several months.
The Police Car Scene
Their reaction to arrest
- The episode opens with the now-infamous scene of the two girls laughing and giggling in the back of a cop car right after being arrested.
- Instead of fear or remorse, they act excited:
- They joke about mugshots
- They discuss jail
- They treat the arrest like a weird bonding moment
- Stephanie emphasizes how unsettling it is that they seemed more amused than horrified.
What they talked about
- They joke about appearances, hair, and whether they’ll be able to “look good” for their mugshots.
- They discuss how they wanted their “story” to spread in the TCC / true crime glorification spaces.
- They role-played school shooters and talked in a way that mirrors online fandom language rather than normal teen behavior.
The Online Obsession Subculture
Columbiners and shooter fandoms
The episode spends a lot of time explaining the internet subculture surrounding school shooters:
- Columbiners romanticize Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
- They make edits, fan art, and fetishized commentary about mass killers.
- Similar communities idolize Adam Lanza, often using code names like “Adam lasagna” to evade moderation.
Zero Day and killer fan art
- Lois reportedly had a Tumblr presence making fan art of fictional school shooters from Zero Day, a film strongly inspired by Columbine.
- Her art included violent, romanticized, and sexualized depictions of killer imagery.
- The episode frames this as part of a wider pattern where online spaces blur the line between “true crime interest” and glorification of violence.
Isabel’s own online behavior
- Isabel is described as having:
- a Sandy Hook memorial banner on Facebook,
- “gun safety advocate” in her bio,
- and a history of posting things that made her look like an anti-gun-violence supporter while allegedly obsessing over a school shooter.
- The episode suggests she may have been using identities and politics opportunistically, while privately fixating on Adam Lanza.
Evidence and Investigation
How police were alerted
- An anonymous tip was submitted through Florida’s school safety reporting system.
- The tip mentioned a trans friend named “Jimmy” planning to kill a classmate.
- School administrators and police acted quickly and removed Isabel from class before the alleged attack could happen.
What was found
- Police say Isabel and Lois had brought:
- a knife,
- cleaning supplies,
- gloves,
- cigarettes,
- flowers,
- and other items connected to the imagined aftermath of the murder.
- Isabel allegedly admitted she intended to:
- kill John,
- take photos afterward,
- smear or drink blood as part of the ritual,
- and give the SD card or materials to Lois.
Their statements
- Isabel reportedly told police she heard voices telling her that if she completed the ritual, Adam Lanza would come back and speak to her again.
- She later wrote a statement that reinforced the same idea: killing John was meant as an offering to bring Adam “back.”
Main Takeaways
1. The case is about more than one planned murder
It’s also about:
- online radicalization
- school shooter fandoms
- fetishization of mass violence
- and the way teenage internet spaces can normalize horrifying behavior.
2. The girls appeared to fully embrace the fantasy
Rather than acting like frightened children, they:
- joked about arrests,
- role-played shooters,
- discussed mugshots,
- and treated the situation like content or performance.
3. The victim was effectively chosen at random
John was not targeted due to a personal dispute; he was targeted because Isabel was obsessively fixated on him as a symbolic replacement for Adam Lanza.
4. The episode frames this as an urgent warning
Stephanie repeatedly emphasizes:
- how dangerous these glorification communities are,
- how easily violent ideation can become a shared identity online,
- and how disturbing it is when real violence is treated like fandom.
Episode Structure / What’s Coming Next
- This transcript appears to be Part 1 of the story.
- The episode ends before the full legal resolution, teasing:
- the girls’ letters to the judge,
- more of their explanations,
- and additional details about their fixation on school shooters and violence.