Professor plots to kill students after son’s suicide: police

After he son’s suicide, Rainer Reinscheid tried to burn the boy’s school down and plotted to kill students and teachers there, authorities said today ahead of a court appearance.

The 48-year-old college professor is charged with arson, attempted arson and resisting police after a string of fires near his son’s Irvine, California high school, The Associated Press said.

He faces 13 years in prison if convicted. The fires – including one at teacher’s home – happened earlier this month.

After his initial arrest, Reinscheid posted $50,000 bail.

However, police quickly arrested him again after finding email he allegedly sent outlining his plans to attack the school and commit sexual assaults there before killing himself.

“I can only at this point tell you, he laid out in sufficient detail plans to purchase guns and murder lots of people,” Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz said, the AP reported.

Prosecutors were expected to ask the judge to deny Reinscheid bail today.

Reinscheid is an associate professor at UC Irvine’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Staff at University High School disciplined the man’s 14-year-old son for stealing, the Orange County Register reported.

The ordered him to pick up trash as punishment.

Shortly thereafter, the boy committed suicide.

Police caught Reinscheid with lighter fluid trying to light a fire in a local park early on July 24.

“Based on the location and nature of the arsons, we believe the defendant was specifically targeting the people and places he believed were related to his son's discipline,” DA spokeswoman Farrah Emami told the Register.

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