A former Georgetown University student has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison after making ricin in his dorm room.
Daniel Milzman pleaded guilty in September to possession of ricin, and was sentenced Monday.
Milzman, then a freshman from Bethesda, Maryland, was arrested in March after showing a student resident adviser a small bag of ricin, according to court documents.
Several hours later, he admitted to D.C. fire and police officials that he had made the ricin.
Milzman had shrugged when he was asked by the advisor whether he planned to use the ricin on another student, and later told police he wanted to use it on himself.
At his sentencing Monday, prosecutors -- who had asked for a two-year sentence -- said Milzman had made a lethal dose of ricin and his intentions were unclear. During time he made the ricin, he was watching "Breaking Bad" episodes about making the substance for lethal purposes, they said.
Prosecutors also read Facebook messages in which Milzman told another student he was a waste of space and if he was considering suicide, the student should call Milzman first.
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Prosecutors said Milzman taunted the other student online, posting, "You would be more use to the world if you were chemically dismembered and your parts sold to a lab."
But the defense said Milzman had had suicidal thoughts and didn't plan to hurt anyone.
The judge said the manufacture of the ricin was deliberate, calculated and reckless, and he exposed the RA and others to danger, calling it an egregious act of unnecessary risk and harm.
In court Monday, Milzman apologized to the judge, the Georgetown community and his family.
The courtroom was packed with family, friends and Georgetown students, but one student told News4 that he was disappointed Milzman didn't get more time.
Milzman has spent the past seven and a half months in jail, so he could be released to a halfway house at the beginning of next year.
His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. He must also undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation and treatment, and perform community service.
Officials have said the amount of ricin Milzman produced was enough to kill an average person weighing 220 pounds if inhaled or injected. According to court documents, Milzman spent about a week researching ricin online.
