After a Thwarted Kentucky School Attack, Dylan Jarrell Tells NCN He Is Trying to Rebuild His Life Through Music

Dylan Jarrell first became the subject of national attention for circumstances far removed from the music career he is now trying to build.

In 2019, Jarrell pleaded guilty in federal court to transmitting a threatening communication, cyberstalking, making a false statement to federal law enforcement and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, his plea agreement stated that he began planning and preparing an act of violence against occupants of Shelby County High School in 2018.

Federal prosecutors said Jarrell also developed an alternative plan to kill another person, identified in court records as D.B., before killing himself. His plea agreement acknowledged acquiring a semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle and other equipment in furtherance of the planned school attack or alternative murder-suicide, according to the Justice Department.

Jarrell was sentenced in July 2020 to 120 months — 10 years — in federal prison, followed by five years of supervision.

Years later, Jarrell is offering his own account of what happened and who he says he has become.

In an extensive written interview with the National Correspondent Network, Jarrell acknowledged making serious statements and plans while emphasizing that he does not believe he ultimately would have committed an attack.

“I don't believe I would have actually carried out an attack, but I understand why authorities took my words seriously,” Jarrell told NCN.

That present-day characterization differs in an important respect from the federal record. According to prosecutors, Jarrell admitted in his plea agreement that he began planning and preparing an act of violence against occupants of Shelby County High School, acquired a firearm in furtherance of his plans and formulated an alternative plan involving D.B.

Jarrell does not dispute everything authorities reported.

He confirmed to NCN that he possessed an AR-15-style rifle at the time.

“I did have an AR-15,” Jarrell said, while declining to discuss the firearm or other equipment in greater detail.

He also acknowledged making disturbing statements.

Jarrell told NCN that he was in a deeply unhealthy period of his life and expressed anger in ways he now regrets. He said he understands why authorities and others took his words seriously.

However, Jarrell said he believes parts of the public narrative surrounding the case lacked context.

“One thing I also want people to understand is that there was context I gave investigators that I don't feel was fully reflected in the public reporting,” Jarrell told NCN.

Jarrell said his anger at the time was directed toward former teachers and other adults from his past rather than students or children.

“I never wanted to hurt a child,” Jarrell said.

NCN has not independently established that Jarrell gave investigators that explanation at the time. His current statement also does not erase the contents of his guilty plea: federal prosecutors said Jarrell admitted planning and preparing an act of violence against “occupants” of his former high school.

Jarrell also disputes a characterization that he was leaving his home to carry out an attack when authorities confronted him.

“That is not how I remember what happened,” he told NCN. “I was leaving for another reason, and I don't believe I was on my way to carry out a shooting.”

The Justice Department's 2020 account says federal and state authorities confronted Jarrell on Oct. 18, 2018, searched his phone and discovered evidence of his plans. It says Jarrell subsequently admitted planning attacks against the high school and D.B.

From music to federal prison

Jarrell told NCN that his childhood included instability and that he often struggled with anger and expressing his emotions.

He said football was once a major part of his life, but after spending time in juvenile detention and leaving school, his life moved in another direction. Music eventually became an important outlet.

Jarrell said the nickname “Money D” originated with friends and eventually became “DJ Money D” when he began taking DJing more seriously.

Before his arrest, Jarrell said he believed he was beginning to establish himself in music. He claims he had approximately 15,000 Instagram followers and had worked on a song involving rapper Yo Gotti that received more than one million views. NCN has not independently verified those claims.

But Jarrell said his personal life was deteriorating.

He described depression, isolation, drug abuse and the end of a relationship during the period preceding his arrest. He stressed that he does not offer those circumstances as an excuse.

“I can explain what was going on in my life at the time, but none of that changes the fact that I made the decisions I made,” Jarrell said.

The federal case

Federal records provide a more detailed chronology.

According to prosecutors, an anonymous Reddit account linked to Jarrell posted messages about previous mass school shootings in May 2018. An FBI agent questioned Jarrell that month, and Jarrell later admitted that he falsely denied knowing about the account and posts.

Prosecutors said Jarrell purchased the rifle in August 2018 and subsequently obtained a bump stock, large-capacity magazines, ammunition and body armor. His plea agreement acknowledged obtaining those items in furtherance of his planned school attack or alternative murder-suicide, according to DOJ.

Authorities said additional threatening and harassing communications followed on Instagram and Facebook. FBI and Kentucky State Police personnel confronted Jarrell in October 2018. He was later federally charged and ultimately pleaded guilty.

Jarrell now says there was additional context behind his behavior.

“Nothing about that context excuses my actions,” he told NCN, “but I believe it gives a more complete picture of what was happening.”

Prison and reflection

Jarrell described his entry into incarceration as frightening.

He told NCN about witnessing violence and learning to navigate an environment where he believed he constantly needed to protect himself. Those descriptions are Jarrell's personal recollections and have not been independently corroborated by NCN.

Jarrell said he eventually received mental-health treatment and therapy and began confronting his behavior and experiences from earlier in his life.

He described a moment during incarceration when he prayed while experiencing what he characterized as a mental breakdown. Jarrell said that experience contributed to his belief that his life could still have purpose.

When he eventually returned home, Jarrell said one of his first experiences was remarkably ordinary: eating a Domino's pizza with his family before heading to a halfway house.

After years of incarceration, he said, simple experiences felt different.

Jarrell told NCN that adjusting to life outside prison has not been immediate. He said one challenge has been abandoning the defensive mentality he developed while incarcerated.

“Welcome Home”

Music is now at the center of Jarrell's attempt to rebuild.

He says he is developing an EP titled “Welcome Home,” bringing together different artists while working as a DJ and producer.

Jarrell also says he is writing a book, tentatively titled “10 Years in Hell,” about his experiences before, during and after incarceration. NCN has not independently verified the development or planned release of either project.

Jarrell says he hopes his experiences can eventually discourage others from making destructive decisions.

His advice to someone experiencing the kind of anger and despair he describes from his own past is simple: seek help.

“Don't make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings,” Jarrell told NCN.

Responsibility and redemption

Jarrell repeatedly told NCN that he accepts responsibility for his actions.

He apologized to people in Lawrenceburg and Shelbyville who were frightened or affected and acknowledged that some may never believe he has changed.

“I know saying I've changed isn't enough,” Jarrell said. “Anybody can say they're different.”

That tension sits at the center of Jarrell's story today.

The federal record establishes that this was more than a misunderstanding or controversial social-media post. Jarrell pleaded guilty to serious federal crimes, and his plea agreement contained admissions about preparations for violence that differ from portions of how he describes his intentions today.

At the same time, Jarrell says he is not asking for those facts to disappear.

He wants his future conduct to determine what comes next.

“I'm not expecting everybody to forget what happened or automatically trust me,” Jarrell told NCN. “All I can do is keep moving forward and show people through my actions who I am today.”

For Jarrell, music is part of that effort. He says he wants a career, wants to support the family members who stood by him and hopes eventually to help others avoid decisions similar to his own.

His past, he acknowledges, cannot be rewritten.

“My past will always be part of my story,” Jarrell said, “but it doesn't have to be the ending.” Jarrell is continuing his return to music under the name DJ Money D and uses the Instagram handle @IAMDJMONEYD.