By Amanda Dyslin, Mankato Free Press

WASECA — The grandmother of a Waseca High School student who police say was planning to murder his family and fellow students said she saw no signs of trouble in his life.

John LaDue, 17, was a good student, consistently on the honor roll at Waseca High School where he was a junior. His paternal grandmother, Dorothy LaDue of Westby, Wis., said he had always been bright and done well in school, which is part of the reason the news was so shocking.

“If he were going through things at school, I would have expected for his grades to be showing it, and they were not,” she said.

Dorothy LaDue hadn’t yet spoken to LaDue’s parents, David and Stephanie Reeder LaDue of Waseca. So she couldn’t speak to the family’s reaction to the numerous charges, including first-degree attempted murder for concocting a plan to kill his family, set off bombs at the school, and shoot Waseca junior and high school students within the next two weeks.

“I can’t speak for anybody else, but I am stunned, shocked. Because John, being my only grandson, he’s just been a marvelous kid,” said Dorothy LaDue, who had just seen her grandson last weekend.

She said she saw nothing out of the ordinary with him during their recent visit. The same was true last summer, she said, when he spent several weeks in Wisconsin with an uncle.

“I would never have expected any problems whatsoever out of John,” she said. “He was an A and B student and had a job and was working and has spent time with me. I just don’t get it.”

Jesse Hermel, a Waterville sophomore, is LaDue’s cousin. Hermel said he last saw LaDue on Thanksgiving, and like LaDue’s grandmother, Hermel said nothing seemed unusual.

“He seemed fine to me —talking and having a good time,” Hermel said. “He’s really funny. I think he’s a good kid. … He’s my cousin, and I love him to death.”

Hermel — who broke down when his mom told him the news after school Thursday — said he hopes to contact LaDue when he can.

“I’d like to reach out to him and ask him, ‘Dude, what was going through your mind? You could have talked to me,’” Hermel said.

Hermel said he wonders whether mental illness might be a factor. He said when LaDue was in middle school he noticed subtle changes in LaDue’s personality, including being less talkative than he once was.

For four years Ryan Lano had given LaDue guitar lessons. Lano remembers he was just a kid when they first met and began weekly one-hour sessions. The lessons stopped two months ago when LaDue Facebook messaged Lano that he wanted to further his skills on his own.

The news of the charges Thursday was very shocking, Lano said.

“I saw him mature from boyhood to an older person,” said Lano of Park Street Guitar Lessons. “… Unfortunately, we’ve heard it before. It could be your neighbor. It could be the guy next door.”

Lano said LaDue studied German in school, and he had devoted parents. Lano said David LaDue recently wrote a glowing testimonial for Lano regarding how well LaDue had progressed in his guitar skills.

Stephanie Reeder LaDue and David LaDue couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

LaDue’s Facebook page shows he had about 30 friends. Among his profile pictures was a photo of him hunting and holding a rifle next to a buck; a photo of him playing guitar; and a poster that says “The experts agree … gun control works!” with eight photos of infamous tyrants, such as Pol Pot, Stalin and Castro.

Waseca Public Schools Supt. Tom Lee said counselors will be made available to students. School is not in session Friday due to teacher in-service.

According to an anonymous Waseca Public Schools staff member, all staff were instructed not to comment.

Read more: Waseca teen hoped to kill as many students as he could, according to charges