A Michigan court has denied an appeal from Ethan Crumbley, the 19-year-old responsible for the deadly Oxford High School shooting in 2021, after he sought to withdraw his guilty plea and overturn his life sentence.
The Court of Appeals rejected the application Tuesday, citing a lack of merit in the legal arguments presented.
Crumbley had pleaded guilty to killing four students and injuring several others during the shooting at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.
In December 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a rare and severe penalty for a juvenile.
His new legal team later requested that the court set aside the life sentence and allow him to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that his plea had not been made knowingly and voluntarily.
However, Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe maintained that Crumbley’s guilty plea had been properly made and refused to reverse the decision.
Crumbley, who was 15 years old at the time of the shooting, had shown disturbing behavior earlier that day, including violent drawings and troubling phrases on a math assignment.
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Despite a school meeting with his parents to discuss these concerns, they chose not to take him home or check his backpack, which contained the firearm used in the attack.
In his appeal, Crumbley’s attorneys argued that his brain development may have been impaired by his mother’s alcohol use during pregnancy, potentially affecting his decision-making.
However, prosecutors countered that this issue had not been raised by a psychologist who testified on Crumbley’s behalf during his sentencing.
The court upheld the original ruling, affirming that his actions were not solely attributable to developmental issues.
Meanwhile, Crumbley’s parents, James and Jennifer, who were accused of contributing to the tragedy by failing to intervene and secure the weapon, are serving 10-year prison sentences for involuntary manslaughter.
