Prosecutors seek life sentence for Ethan Crumbley in Michigan school shooting

Prosecutors have asked a judge to hand down a life sentence to the 16-year-old who pleaded guilty last month to killing four of his classmates and injuring seven others in a shooting last year at a Michigan high school, according to multiple reports.

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In a court filing, officials with the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office asked that Ethan Crumbley be sentenced to the maximum under Michigan law, the Detroit Free Press reported. Crumbley was a 15-year-old Oxford High School sophomore when he opened fire at the school.

Crumbley initially indicated that he would mount an insanity defense. Last month, he instead pleaded guilty to two dozen charges, including terrorism and multiple counts of first-degree murder.

First-degree murder convictions typically carry automatic life sentences in Michigan. However, because of Crumbley’s age, he is entitled to a hearing to argue for a lesser sentence, The Associated Press reported.

“A sentence of imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole is appropriate in this case,” Oakland County assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said, according to the AP.

The sentencing process is scheduled to begin in February.

Prosecutors previously said that social media posts showed that Crumbley planned the November 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School in advance. He shot and killed Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven other people were injured.

Crumbley’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were later charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said they ignored their son’s need for mental health treatment and bought him the gun he used in the November 2021 shooting, according to the Free Press.

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