On Feb. 26, Hope Duncan was arrested by MSU Police for her post on the 2028 Snapchat story that stated, “There’s going to be another shooting at michigan state."  

"I’m so glad, this school definitely deserves it and everyone here should die,” it continued. 

Duncan was charged with two felony counts: one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of using a computer to commit a crime, each carrying a 20-year sentence. 

In Michigan, anyone accused of a felony has the right to request a preliminary examination, where the prosecutor must demonstrate probable cause that the alleged crime occurred.

At Duncan’s preliminary hearing Thursday, her lawyer, Mike Nichols, argued that the statute being used to charge her is not constitutional, according to a Michigan Court of Appeals decision issued last month. 

Therefore, he argued, the second charge should also be dismissed, stating, “the second count can’t survive if the first count doesn’t survive.” 

Assistant Prosecutor Randall Behrmann argued that Duncan’s comment was indeed a threat. 

“I don’t see how any reasonable person would think otherwise,” he said. 

Behrmann also pointed to the proximity of Duncan’s post to the two-year anniversary of the February 2023 campus shooting as indicative that Duncan’s comment was a threat. 

Nichols acknowledged the anniversary of the shooting and thanked the law enforcement who responded to the shooting and who were present at the hearing to testify.

MSU detectives Sydnee Zienta and Martha Brushaber testified as witnesses at the hearing. 

Brushaber explained how MSU Police identified Duncan as a suspect: The police submitted an Exigent SNAP request to Snapchat for the poster’s information, which revealed Duncan’s IP address as well as her student email.

Before the prosecutors played Duncan’s interrogation video, she requested to leave the courtroom, citing the emotional toll on her mental health, as the footage showed her in a deeply distraught state. Her mother followed her into the hallway.

“I’m sorry for scaring anybody,” Duncan said to Zienta in the video. “I don’t have any weapons.”

The MSU Police have not found any evidence of a planned attack either in her dorm or on her phone, which is currently in police custody.

As the seven-minute clip played, Duncan’s father kept his head down, unable to watch the video.

Judge Lisa Babcock acknowledged Duncan’s parents for attending and expressed sympathy for their situation.

"This is probably the hardest day of your lives,” Babcock said. 

During the interrogation video, Duncan claimed that she did not mean what she posted and that she simply posted it for attention. She felt lonely at MSU, she said. 

“I want to go home,” she said in the video. “Nobody gives me attention… I just wanted attention.”

Toward the end of the hearing, Duncan’s other lawyer, Chris Wickman, asked if she could stop wearing her ankle monitor, comparing it to a scarlet letter. 

Behrmann, the prosecutor, argued against the idea. After Duncan’s identity was revealed in the media, he said, he received tips from people who had issues with Duncan, both during the fall 2024 semester at MSU and during high school. 

The detective in the video also told Duncan that she was familiar with her, as the detective’s coworker knew Duncan had problems with her roommates. 

Babcock denied the defense’s request to remove the ankle monitor, saying it has only been three weeks since her arrest. 

She also denied the defense’s request for Duncan to be able to return to campus for a hearing with MSU on April 8. 

Babcock told the defense it has two weeks to submit a brief, after which the prosecution will have seven days to file a response.