Michigan Judge to Weigh Whether School Shooter Could Ever Leave Prison
If Ethan Crumbley had been a few years older when he killed four students at his Michigan high school and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, there would be no question: He would be going to prison for the rest of his life.
But because he was 15 when he opened fire in 2021 in the hallways of Oxford High School, his fate is less certain.
In a hearing set to begin on Thursday morning, a state judge will consider whether Mr. Crumbley should be eligible for a sentence that could allow him to one day leave prison. Though most adults convicted of first-degree murder in Michigan must be sentenced to life in prison without parole, the most serious penalty available under state law, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 2012 requires judges to consider giving juvenile defendants like Mr. Crumbley a chance for eventual release.
The hearing, which is expected to stretch into Friday and possibly next week, could provide the fullest airing yet of the evidence in a mass killing that renewed long-festering questions about gun control, school safety and parental responsibility. And it could offer a preview of prosecutors’ separate cases against Mr. Crumbley’s parents, who are charged with involuntary manslaughter and accused of missing chances to intervene before the shooting. The parents have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Source: The New York Times
