Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley sentenced to life in prison without parole

PONTIAC, Mich. — The Oxford High School shooter was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to a single count of terrorism causing death, four charges of first-degree murder and 19 other charges related to the 2021 Michigan shooting.

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Update 4:08 p.m. EST Dec. 8: Ethan Crumbley, 17, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday for killing four students and injuring others at Oxford High School in 2021, according to The Associated Press.

The judge rejected pleas for a shorter sentence and said Crumbley will not get parole, the AP reported.

— Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Original report: CNN reported that prosecutors are asking that Ethan Crumbley, 17, be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Associated Press reported that the judge could shorten the sentence from 25 to 40 years, making him eligible for release.

Crumbley pleaded guilty to the charges last October after a judge in September said that the teen is eligible for the sentence saying that Crumbley had an “obsession with violence” that makes rehabilitation unlikely.

He had initially pleaded not guilty with his attorneys filing a notice of an insanity defense but he decided to change to guilty because it was in his best interest, his attorney said, according to CNN.

The convicted shooter said he had taken a gun from an unlocked container in his home and put it in his backpack. During the school day, he went to the bathroom, took out the gun and started shooting, killing Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Julinana, 14 and Justin Shilling,17, CNN reported.

Crumbley had written a journal about wanting to watch students suffer and how he would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars. He also had recorded a video the day before the shooting, spelling out what he had planned to do, the AP reported.

Family members of the victims killed on Nov. 30, 2021, and the survivors of the shooting carried out by then-15-year-old Crumbley are giving victim impact statements before the sentence is handed down.

They won’t be the only ones allowed to speak. Crumbley himself will be permitted to address the court if he decides to do so, the AP reported.

Crumbley is not the only member of his family facing the court.

His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley are both charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and have pleaded not guilty. They were not allowed to attend their son’s sentencing in person, court records said, according to CNN.

Prosecutors said the parents gave their son access to a gun and ignored signs that he was a danger. They also are accused of ignoring Ethan Crumbley’s request for mental health treatment after he told them he needed help.

They even met with their son’s school staff the day of the shooting after a teacher saw violent drawings Ethan Crumbley made, but no one checked his backpack and he was allowed to stay at the school, the AP reported. He had also watched a shooting video and gun ammunition on his phone during class, which, a report by an outside group hired by the school district, indicated that the teen should have been labeled a “potential threat of violence,” the AP reported.

The Crumbleys have said there is no legal justification for the charges and that they were not responsible for what their son did, despite James Crumbley buying the gun just days before the deadly shooting, CNN reported.

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