Michigan teenager pleads guilty to murder, says gun ‘wasn’t locked’


A Michigan teenager calmly confessed in court Monday to killing four classmates and injuring seven others in a shooting at his high school last November.

The teenager, Ethan Crumbley, answered ‘Yes sir’ to a series of questions put to him by Judge Kwame Rowe as he pleaded guilty to 24 counts including murder, attempted murder, terrorism and violations weapons, stemming from the shooting at Oxford High School.

As the victims’ families listened in the crowded Oakland County courtroom, the defendant, now 16, also made a revelation that could play a role in the ongoing criminal case. his parents for manslaughter: the weapon, he said, “was not locked.”

Defense attorneys for the teenager’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were not immediately available for comment. But they had previously said the weapon was secure. The parents pleaded not guilty.

Although it’s rare for parents to be prosecuted for their children’s crimes, Karen D. McDonald, the Oakland County District Attorney, said last year that the Crumbleys’ conduct led her to decide to continue, despite the difficult legal battle.

Ethan Crumbley also testified at Monday’s hearing that he asked his father to buy for him the 9mm Sig Sauer semi-automatic handgun used in the Oxford school shooting. Previously, the weapon had been described as an early Christmas present. But in court, the teenager said he gave his father the money for the gun, which was bought on November 26, four days before the shooting.

The defendant admitted on Monday to murdering 16-year-old Tate Myre; Justin Shilling, 17; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14, along with seven other injured people, including six students and a teacher.

He appeared in court under tight security wearing an orange prisoner’s uniform issued by the Oakland County Jail, where he has been held for a year. Visibly taller than last year, with longer hair, he confirmed that no promises had been made to him. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, but his sentencing will not take place until next year.

His parents, who were not in the courtroom, are being held separately at the same facility.

The teenager’s attorneys had indicated in January that their client planned to pursue an insanity defense, a plea difficult to prove under Michigan law. Then last week prosecutors said he would plead guilty to all counts.

It was also confirmed at Monday’s hearing that the defendant hid his new pistol in a backpack on the day of the shooting, along with 50 rounds of ammunition. Around noon, he loaded the gun into the school toilets and came out shooting.

Earlier in the day, his parents had been called to school.

A guidance counselor testified in hearings earlier this year that he summoned the couple and urged them to seek counseling for their son, who was discovered in class with violent drawings of a gun , a bloodied figure and the words ‘help me’ and ‘my life is useless.

The parents have been the subject of an intense manhunt after they failed to turn themselves in to face charges. They were taken into custody at a commercial building in Detroit, where police said they appeared to be hiding.