Ethan Crumbley pleads guilty in Michigan school shooting trial
Tom Wood
Featured Image Credit: UPI/REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo
Ethan Crumbley has pleaded guilty to all 24 charges against him relating to a school shooting in Michigan on November 30 2021.
Crumbley pleaded guilty to charges including four counts of first-degree murder and another of terrorism causing death, as well as other lesser charges.
All of the charges relate to his alleged involvement in the shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan towards the end of last year.
Four students at the school were killed in the shooting, which occurred whilst Crumbley was 15-years-old.
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Now 16-years-old, Crumbley has chosen to change his plea entry this morning, having previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
However, at a hearing today at Oakland County Circuit Court, he has now entered a guilty plea.
In the gallery, some relatives of the victims wept as assistant prosecutor Marc Keast described the crimes.
The teenager repeatedly said 'yes' to each charge.
The prosecutor’s office said no deals were made ahead of Monday’s plea.
A first-degree murder conviction typically brings an automatic life prison sentence in Michigan but teenagers are entitled to a hearing at which their lawyer can argue for a shorter term and an opportunity for parole.
The teenager withdrew his intent to pursue an insanity defence as part of the plea, and repeatedly acknowledged that he understood the potential penalties.
As well as the charges against Ethan, parents Jennifer and James Crumbley have also been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter each after being accused by prosecutors of giving their young son easy access to guns, as well as allegedly failing to spot signs that he was a danger to society before the alleged murders.
The prosecution team argues that the Crumbleys were responsible for ‘a much larger role than just buying their son a gun’.
They also argue that the parents could have done a whole lot more than simply locking up the gun, which might have prevented the shooting from taking place in the first instance.
They have pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing that there are no legal grounds for them.
Furthermore, they argue that they cannot be held responsible for the murders that their son is accused of committing.
That trial will take place separately in January, with the pair remanded in custody until then.
James Crumbley purchased the gun that is believed to have been used in the killings just four days before Ethan allegedly killed the students ‘methodically and deliberately’ by walking around the school with the firearm shooting at close range.
The employees and students at the school tried to save themselves by barricading themselves in classrooms, calling for help and turning off lights – as trained in their active shooter drills – but ultimately four were killed.
Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling – both 17-years-old – were killed along with 16-year-old Tate Myre and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana.
Six more students and a teacher were injured.
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