Charlie Decker and Mr. Vance (teacher-student murder)

The killing of John Downes Vance, a thirty-seven-year-old history teacher at Placerville High School, marks the second murder committed by Charles Decker during the hostage crisis in Room 16. The shooting transforms the incident from a single-victim classroom shooting into a double homicide, hardening the police response and sealing Decker's legal fate as a convicted murderer. Vance's death, occurring within minutes of Decker's first shot, demonstrates the speed with which the hostage-taker's violence escalated and the arbitrary, reactive nature of his lethal decisions.

Circumstances of the Shooting

Vance entered Room 16 moments after Decker had shot and killed algebra teacher Jean Underwood. The fire alarm, triggered by Decker setting his own locker ablaze, had sent students filing onto the lawn, and Vance poked his head in to announce the evacuation. Finding Underwood absent and Decker holding a pistol, Vance was met with a command to leave. When he hesitated, Decker fired and missed, the bullet chipping wood from the doorframe. Vance, still not fully comprehending the situation, began again: "There's a fire in the building. Please—" It was then that student Mike Gavin, in a tone of discussing the weather, said, "Charlie's got a gun, Mr. Vance. I think you better—" The second bullet caught Vance in the throat. His flesh spread liquidly, like water when a rock is thrown into it, and he walked backward into the hall, scratching at his throat, before falling over.

Immediate Aftermath and Classroom Reaction

Vance's death produced a stunned silence in the classroom, broken only by a second scream from Irma Bates, which again found no imitators. The students, already processing Underwood's murder, watched Vance's scratching motions slow and stop. Decker, now in control of the room, ordered Ted Jones to shut and lock the door. Down the hall, someone yelled that Vance had had a heart attack, a misperception that briefly delayed the full understanding of the crisis. Decker later confirmed his certainty of the kill during an intercom exchange with Principal Thomas Denver, stating flatly, "I'm pretty sure I did."

Legal and Narrative Consequences

The murder of Vance, alongside that of Underwood, formed the basis of Decker's conviction for willful murder in Superior Court on August 27, 1976. The court document, signed by Judge Samuel K. N. Deleavney, specifically names "John Downes Vance" as one of the two human beings Decker was found guilty of killing. Despite the conviction, five state psychiatrists determined that Decker could not be held accountable for his actions by reason of insanity, leading to his indefinite remand to Augusta State Hospital. Vance's death thus became a legal cornerstone of the case, yet the insanity verdict meant Decker would never serve a prison sentence for the killing.

Thematic Significance

Vance's murder exemplifies the random, almost casual violence that Decker unleashes once he "gets it on." Unlike Underwood, who was a premeditated target, Vance was killed for interrupting a scene Decker was already controlling. The teacher's death underscores the hostage-taker's absolute, irrational authority within Room 16 and the fragility of adult institutional power when confronted with a student armed and willing to kill. Vance's final, futile attempt to revert to routine—repeating the fire-evacuation instruction—highlights the chasm between normal school procedure and the nightmare Decker has created.