Oxford high school shooter Ethan Crumbley to plead guilty to all 24 charges, prosecutors confirm
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
OXFORD, MICHIGAN: The Oxford high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, 16, accused of killing four of his classmates and injuring serval others, plans to plead guilty to the heinous murders next week, revealed Michigan prosecutors on Friday, October 21.
The teen gunman, who is being charged as an adult for the Michigan high school mass shooting, will plead guilty to all 24 charges. "We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism, and the prosecutor has notified the victims,” David Williams, chief assistant prosecutor in Oakland County, said, according to a report in NY Post. The teenager's parents are also being accountable for the massacre after they ignored their son’s mental health needs and gifted him a gun just days before he went on a killing rampage.
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On November 30, 2021, Crumbley's teacher reportedly called in his parents, James and Jennifer, to discuss his ominous writings and images of violence created during a classroom assignment. According to the outlet, the drawings showed a gun pointing at words that read, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me,” with an image of the bullet and “Blood everywhere.” His parents refused to take him home from school but they were asked to seek counseling for him within 48 hours. A few hours later, the teen, then 15, allegedly pulled out a gun and committed a mass shooting. Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St Juliana and Justin Shilling were killed, while six students and a teacher were injured.
Authorities have reportedly pinned some responsibility on Crumbley’s parents and charged them with involuntary manslaughter charges. “Put simply, they created an environment in which their son’s violent tendencies flourished. They were aware their son was troubled, and then they bought him a gun,” prosecutors said in a court filing, according to NY Post. Crumbley is being charged with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted murder and 12 counts related to use of a gun. The high school gunmen is being charged with terrorism after the state enacted anti-terrorism law following the 9/11 ordeal.
According to Fox 32, Michigan's 2002 anti-terrorism law defines a terroristic act as one intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or to affect the conduct of a government through intimidation or coercion. According to the outlet, a first-degree murder conviction in Michigan typically brings an automatic life prison sentence. Court documents revealed portions of Crumbley's journal that included entries in which he said his parents hated each other and had no money. “This just furthers my desire to shoot up the school or do something else,” the teen reportedly wrote. Crumbley and his parents are currently being held at the Oakland County jail. He is due to face court on Monday, October 24. If convicted, Crumbley could face life imprisonment without parole.