Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter could be sentenced to life in prison without parole. This is currently the harshest possible punishment available in the state of Michigan. The decision on what the young man’s sentence is going to be will be announced on September 29th.
The now 17-years old teenager pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, and 19 other charges that are connected to the school shooting at Oxford. According to reports, he killed four students and injured seven back when he was 15 years old.
The defendant, Paulette Loftin, asked the judge to take the teenager’s challenging family life, and mental health condition as facts to consider to mitigate the sentence. Loftin has stated that Crumbley deserves a chance for rehabilitation.
“We ask that you give Ethan a chance to show this court and to show his community that he will do good things with his time that when he stands before the parole board there will only be positives to discuss.”
About the plea, Oakland County prosecutor, Karen McDonald, determined that Crumbley should be one of the rare cases with minors receiving the most severe punishment. In addition, she mentioned the expert testimony from Dr. Lisa Anacker, a forensic psychiatry expert, who assured that he did not meet the mental illness definition after he was interviewed and his condition was studied.
“His life will be spared just the way he wanted. He can continue to watch his victims suffer, but he can do it from a place where the victims will never have to live in fear that they will face him again or that he will do it again to someone else.” McDonald affirmed.