Ethan Crumbley expected to plead guilty for fatal shooting at Oxford High School, prosecutors say
By Carolyn Sung, CNN
Ethan Crumbley, the teenager accused of fatally shooting four students and injuring seven others at a Michigan high school last year, is expected to plead guilty to murder charges next week, prosecutors said Friday.
Crumbley, who was 15 when the shooting took place, is set to plead guilty to all 24 charges against him, including one count of terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder, for killing four students at Oxford High School in November, according to Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams.
“We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism and the prosecutor has notified the victims,” Williams told CNN.
Crumbley, who previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, is expected to change his plea Monday at a hearing in Oakland County Circuit Court where he will appear in person. Crumbley, now 16, will receive no plea deal as a result of the guilty plea, said Williams.
CNN has reached out to Crumbley’s attorneys for comment.
Crumbley’s parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after their son allegedly opened fire in the high school. They have both pleaded not guilty, and their attorneys have argued in court documents the charges have no legal justification and the couple should not be held responsible for the killings their son is accused of committing.
Michigan prosecutors argued in a court filing in August that evidence of Jennifer and James’ personal problems, including an extramarital affair and substance abuse, should be allowed to be introduced at their trial. Attorneys for the couple have called the evidence “extraneous.”
Prosecutors argued Jennifer and James Crumbley played “a much larger role than just buying their son a gun,” and there were many things the parents could have done, other than simply locking up the gun, which could have prevented the tragedy. They also argued the parents had “every reason” to know their son was dangerous.
“What the evidence will actually show is that these defendants exposed their son to years of chaotic, toxic conflict, which is a well-known risk factor for entering the pathway to violence,” the filing states.
Their trial was scheduled to begin on Monday but was postponed last month to start sometime in January, according to court filings.
Jennifer and James are currently being held in the Oakland County Jail, court filings say. They are due back in court on October 28 for the judge to rule on potential trial testimony from an expert in mass shootings, the filings show.
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CNN’s Lauren del Valle contributed to this report.
