When 16-Year-Old Brenda Ann Spencer Was Arrested For Killing Two People She Replied By Saying She Just Don't Like Mondays

On the morning of January 29, 1979, the quiet neighborhood surrounding Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, was shattered by an unthinkable act of violence. From her home across the street, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire with a rifle, killing two people and wounding nine others, including eight children and a police officer.

When police surrounded her house and eventually arrested her, reporters asked the teenage girl why she did it. Her chilling response became one of the most infamous quotes in true crime history:

“I just don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”

That cold and casual statement stunned the nation. Spencer’s lack of remorse and the randomness of the attack drew comparisons to the growing concerns about youth violence in America. Investigators later discovered that her father had given her the .22 caliber rifle she used as a Christmas gift — a detail that only deepened the public’s horror.

Brenda’s actions and words would go on to inspire the 1979 song “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats, which topped charts in the UK and became a haunting anthem reflecting the senselessness of the tragedy.

Spencer was tried as an adult and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, where she has remained ever since. Over the years, she has claimed her actions were influenced by abuse and depression, though her original words continue to overshadow any later explanations.

Decades later, the phrase “I just don’t like Mondays” still sends chills — a haunting reminder of how one moment of violence, paired with an emotionless answer, can echo through history.