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The testimony could be important for prosecutors trying to prove Hainstock gunned down Weston Principal John Klang on purpose the morning of homecoming last fall. Hainstock's attorneys contend the shooting was an accident and Hainstock brought guns to school to convince Klang and other teachers to stop other kids from teasing him relentlessly.
Samuel Brandt, a 17-year-old football player at Weston, testified he'd see Hainstock get in pushing and shoving matches with other kids in the halls, but "he would push people more than he would get pushed."
Hainstock often tormented younger students and then tried to pick on older kids, who picked on him right back, Brandt said.
Kimberly Durst, 18, a junior at Weston last fall, testified she was "acquaintances" with Hainstock. She said she saw people picking on Hainstock and Hainstock teasing them right back.
"They dished out and he dished out right back," Durst said. "Kind of the same."
Hainstock faces a charge of first-degree murder in Klang's death Sept. 29, the day homecoming festivities were set to begin at Weston, a rural school just outside Cazenovia. It's a tiny farming community about 65 miles northwest of Madison.
According to a criminal complaint, Hainstock, then a 15-year-old freshman, came to school armed with a shotgun and a revolver. A janitor ripped the shotgun away from the boy. But Hainstock pulled out the revolver and shot Klang three times as the principal wrestled him to the ground.
Klang managed to disarm Hainstock and a teacher and students piled on him. But Klang died later that day of his wounds.
Hainstock, 16, could face life in prison if he's convicted. His trial hinges on whether prosecutors can persuade jurors he intended to kill Klang the moment he pulled the trigger. First-degree murder requires intent.
