Lauren C. Moye, FISM News
The Michigan teenager accused of killing four schoolmates and injuring seven other people in a deadly 2021 school shooting is expected to plead guilty to all charges tomorrow, according to the local prosecutor in the case.
Ethan Crumbley, 16, opened fire in Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. His lawyers had previously indicated they would attempt an insanity defense to shield the teenager from the charges stemming from the Oxford, Michigan school shooting.
However, Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams said on Friday that a guilty plea is now expected.
“We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism, and the prosecutor has notified the victims. There have been no plea deals, no reductions, and no sentencing agreements,” said Williams in a statement.
Crumbley will appear in court around 8:30 A.M. local time, where he is expected to formally enter the plea in court.
His lawyers have not yet released a statement.
On the last day of November 2021, Crumbley took his handgun to his high school. He killed four other students and injured a teacher and six additional schoolmates.
Crumbley was 15 at the time of the incident, which became the deadliest school shooting since 2018.
He has been held in adult jail during this time, though kept separated from other inmates.
The school shooting became national news for two additional reasons: the public belief that both school officials and the parents could have intervened in time to prevent it from occurring and the groundbreaking involuntary manslaughter charges placed on Crumbley’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley.
On the day of the shooting, Crumbley was discovered with drawings that depicted a handgun, a bullet, and a bleeding figure. The image included messages like, “The thoughts won’t stop – help me.”
A parent-superintendent meeting concluded that morning with the parents agreeing to place Crumbley in counseling within two days. However, the sophomore was permitted to remain at school. The shooting occurred within hours.
The parents were later charged with involuntary manslaughter for their role in the event for allegedly ignoring crucial warning signs. It’s the first case where an attempt to legally hold parents accountable for their minor’s school shooting event.
In addition to the drawings, the handgun used in the shooting was purchased just days before the shooting on Nov. 26 by James as an early Christmas gift for his son.
On Nov. 29, just one day before the shooting, Crumbley was caught by a teacher shopping for handgun ammunition online.
In response to this, his mother Jennifer reportedly texted him, “LOL, I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
The parents pleaded not guilty to these charges which they later opposed in court. The elder Crumbleys lost their final appeal attempt in June when the appeals court upheld a lower court decision to proceed with the criminal trial against them.
Prosecutors have said in a court filing that the manslaughter charges are appropriate because the Crumbleys’ “gross negligence allowed their son access to the murder weapon and allowed him to remain in school with that murder weapon.”
Their trial was set to be held on Oct. 24 but that date was adjourned in early September. No trial date has been announced.