Ethan Crumbley, convicted of killing four students in a Michigan school shooting, is appealing his life sentence. His attorneys highlight new evidence of his troubled childhood and question his understanding of the guilty plea.
Detroit (Bollywood Fever): A teenager convicted of the tragic shooting of four students at a Michigan high school is challenging his life sentence, his lawyers announced on Friday.
The state’s Appellate Defender Office has officially requested a resentencing for Ethan Crumbley.
Crumbley, now 18, pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including terrorism and four counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life without parole in December, for crimes committed when he was 15.
His attorneys argue that new evidence suggests seven witnesses could have testified about Ethan’s difficult upbringing, his mother’s alcohol abuse during pregnancy, and the potential effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder on his development.
They also question whether Ethan fully understood his actions when he pleaded guilty to the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School, emphasizing that children have the capacity for change. “Sentencing a child to life without parole is inhumane,” they stated.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appeal.
During sentencing, Judge Kwame Rowe highlighted that the shooting was meticulously planned, noting that Crumbley had numerous opportunities to stop as he moved through the school. The judge expressed particular concern over one victim being shot multiple times and another being forced to witness a student being shot at close range.
Ethan’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were convicted of manslaughter earlier this year. Prosecutors argued they allowed Ethan access to a gun, ignored his mental health issues, and failed to take him home after being shown his violent drawings at school on the day of the attack. They are the first U.S. parents to be convicted in connection with a mass school shooting committed by their child.
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