Teenager sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting four classmates in Michigan

Ethan Crumbley, who was only 15-years-old when he fatally shot four of his fellow classmates at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for what Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe calls a “true act of terrorism.” The teen pleaded guilty last year to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges related to the deadly shooting.

According to CNN, Crumbley told Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard that he’s prepared to spend the rest of his life in prison for the school shooting, during which he used a firearm purchased for him by his parents which he obtained from an unlocked container in his home and brought to school with the intent to kill. 

“I’m proud of him. It’s a first step to healing for the community and for him moving forward and dealing with a lifetime that’s going to be extremely difficult,” defense attorney Paulette Loftin said of her client, adding that Crumbley has spent the last two years in solitary confinement and is remorseful and relieved for this to be done.

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the teen’s parents, are in the midst of separate trials on involuntary manslaughter charges in relation to their son’s crimes, on the basis that they knew enough about his troubled mindset to have been able to stop him, and for giving him access to the weapon he used to kill the students on the day in question. 

Watch Crumbley’s sentencing here: