A Michigan judge ruled Friday that the teen gunman who killed four students at Michigan’s Oxford High School can serve life in prison without parole.
Judge Kwamé Rowe announced the decision weeks after hearing from experts who clashed over Ethan Crumbley’s mental health and witnesses who described the terror of the day in sharp detail.
“Accordingly, the court, having weighed all factors … finds that the prosecution has rebutted the presumption by clear and convincing evidence that a sentence of life without parole is a disproportionate sentence,” Rowe said.
Crumbley was 15 at the time when he opened fire at the school on November 30, 2021, that killed four students, and injured six others and a teacher at the high school. He has pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony.
Though Crumbley was convicted of first-degree murder, he couldn’t be automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole as an adult due to his age.
Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe must look at his maturity, mental health, tumultuous family life and other factors set by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“This crime is not the result of impetuosity or recklessness,” Rowe said. “Nor does the crime reflect the hallmarks of youth. Defendant carefully and meticulously planned and carried out the shooting.”
The judge said the teen had downloaded a school map, figured out the likely police response time to a shooting and also researched where Michigan teens are placed in prison.
Crumbley faces a sentence of either life in prison without parole or a shorter term, with a minimum of 25 to 40 years and a maximum of 60 years with the possibility of parole.
The hearing was the result of a series of major decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court and Michigan Supreme Court about how to treat teenagers who are convicted of murder. The burden was on prosecutors to show that a life sentence in the Oxford tragedy would not be an excessive punishment.
Defense lawyers had argued that he was in a devastating spiral by fall 2021 after being deeply neglected by his parents, who bought a gun and took him to a shooting range to try it.
“His general home life, while not ideal, was also not terrible,” Rowe said. “Despite his parents’ shortcomings, the defendant appeared to have a loving and supportive family. ... In the defendant’s own words, his childhood was good.”
Defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin argued in August that Crumbley deserves an opportunity for parole someday after his “sick brain” is fixed through counseling and rehabilitation.
However, the court found that Crumbley’s possibility of rehabilitation was “slim.”
“His obsession with violence is, in part, what caused the defendant to commit the underlying offense. If defendant continues to be obsessed with violence in the jail, how can there be a possibility of rehabilitation?” Rowe said, noting he accessed violent content on an electronic device even while in custody, violating jail rules.
“As defendant’s own expert stated, the defendant has to be the one who wants to change if he is to be rehabilitated,” Rowe said. “Evidence does not demonstrate to the court that he wants to change.”
Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who is seeking a life sentence, said she hopes the judge’s ruling brings “some comfort” to the Oxford community ahead of the final hearing in December.
Crumbley’s next hearing was set for Oct. 20 and his sentencing for Dec. 8.
While Crumbley remains in jail awaiting sentencing, his parents are in jail awaiting trial. Jennifer and James Crumbley have both been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
